Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international anchor, revealed that she has ovarian cancer and is now undergoing treatment.
The 63-year-old journalist, who had been off the air for about a month to treat the disease, broke the news at the start of her TV show Monday.
She called the past four weeks “a bit of a rollercoaster for me.”
“I’ve had successful major surgery to remove it, and I’m now undergoing several months of chemotherapy for the very best possible long-term prognosis,” Amanpour said. “And I’m confident. I’m also fortunate to have health insurance through work and incredible doctors who are treating me.”
Amanpour, who is based in London, has covered conflicts around the world during her time at CNN.
“I’m telling you this in the interest of transparency but in truth, really, mostly as a shoutout to early diagnosis,” Amanpour said Monday.
She added that she wants “to urge women to educate themselves on this disease, to get all the regular screenings and scans that you can, to always listen to your bodies, and of course, to ensure that your legitimate medical concerns are not dismissed or diminished.”
After sharing her personal news with viewers, Amanpour then went right into covering international news, including discussing the upcoming meeting between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, happening in Geneva on Wednesday.
The journalist also took time to thank Bianna Golodryga, CNN’s senior global affairs analyst, for filling in for her on the show while she was out.
Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, according to the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
