Kelly Clarkson Reveals the Cancer Scare That Almost Ruined Her First Grammy Win
Kelly Clarkson’s outspoken honesty — even when it comes to difficult topics — is one of the things we love most about her. The “Love So Soft” singer recently opened up about body image issues she dealt with in her early days of fame, and now, she’s letting fans in on an even more personal subject, revealing the major health scare she underwent on the night of her first-ever Grammy Award win.
“I was told I might have cancer that day, so, yeah, it was really horrible,” Clarkson told EW of the incident. It was 2006, and the pop star should have been riding high on her Best Female Pop Vocal Performance nomination for “Since U Been Gone” and Best Pop Vocal Album nomination for Breakaway. Instead, however, she recalls how impossible it was to enjoy the ceremony following the crushing blow, even after winning both awards.
“I had to have my makeup redone three times,” she recalled, admitting that she thought each win was a sign that God was giving have one last hurrah before her time was up. “I was freaking out. Ovarian and cervical [cancer] run in our family, and it was something to do with that, so I was freaked out the whole time.”
The American Idol alum, 35, was thankfully in the clear, and while the night remains a rough one in her memory, she’s able to remember some of the good parts too. “Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder gave me my first Grammy, which was pretty rad.” We’ll say!
While we’re saddened to hear what a horrible feeling she must have had during what was supposed to be her big moment, we’re so happy she made it through with flying colors.
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(Photos via Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty)