Kylie Minogue has begun treatment for her breast cancer at a Melbourne hospital. The good news is that the cancer seems to be confined to Kylie's breast, confirming that doctors have caught the disease in its early stages.
Kylie issued a statement to fans from hospital. She said: "My heartfelt thanks to the incredible number of people who have sent messages of love and support over the last two days. I want to reassure you that I am being well taken care of. [Boyfriend] Olivier [Martinez] is by my side and I have a lot of family and friends around me. I would also like to extend my best wishes to all of the other women around Australia and around the world who are dealing with the same illness".
The singer urged any fans thinking of sending flowers or cards to make a donation to a cancer charity instead. In fact many Kylie fans are already doing that, with some people reportedly donating the money they have received from ticket refunds from Ms Minogue's cancelled tour to cancer research or treatment organisations, which is a good thing, even if it makes the cynic inside CMU ask 'why does a celebrity have to have an illness before people take any notice of it' (but who ever bothers to listen to the cynic?).
Elsewhere in Kylie news, the Premier of Aussie state Victoria has reportedly warned off the media, and especially the UK's tabloids, from delving too deeply into Kylie's condition, encouraging the press to leave the family alone while the singer goes through her treatment. Premier Steve Bracks said on ABC radio yesterday: "Privacy laws around medical records, about access to details about treatment, these are private matters between the clinician and the patient and they are enshrined in laws as private matters".
The editor of Aussie music website Undercover, Paul Cashmere, is particularly concerned about the way the British tabloids may choose to cover the story. He wrote yesterday: "It appears the English press will go to any length to get a story. Undercover was approached by London's Daily Mirror to acquire information about Kylie. When told the request was "in extremely poor taste", their reporter Michael Duffy told me "well, we are obviously not in the same business". Absolutely correct Mr Duffy, we aren't. Anything about Kylie is big news in the UK. Making up stories about her is a cottage industry. Creating fiction about a wedding or pregnancy is commonplace and worthy of front page regardless of the facts. Kylie was the lead story in the UK yesterday and as expected, good taste was not an issue. The Mirror went with "Kylie's Baby Fear, Breast tumour treatment may rob star of the kids she has always longed for".