Doctor Kylie: Minogue Honored For Cancer Work

Pop princess Kylie Minogue has been awarded an honorary doctorate in health sciences for her work in promoting breast cancer awareness.

The singer was diagnosed with the illness in 2005 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. She has been cancer-free for six years.

Today she was honoured by the Anglia Ruskin University in Essex, east of London, for her involvement in awareness campaigns to promote early diagnosis and other associated charity work.



Minogue, who has won a Grammy, a score of Brit awards and a Gold Logie, says it was "no less nerve-wracking" accepting the doctorate.

"[I was] shaking like a leaf up there. There is so much I actually wanted to say to the students and it just didn't come out of my mouth," she said.
"But I wanted to say I feel really privileged to be in their company on such a special day. Perhaps in another life I would have been one of them but as it turned out I guess my university was out on the road learning as I went.

"It is a really gorgeous honour."

She says her parents will be proud.

"I didn't end up going to university, as much as my dad would have loved me to, so I do hope that you've got a good picture of that because when I send this home, he'll be very pleased with that," she said.


The Kylie effect
Minogue's well-publicised fight against cancer guaranteed the diminutive diva more headlines but it also had a remarkable side-effect.
There was a massive increase in the number of people undergoing a breast screening; it was what doctors dubbed the "Kylie effect".

"It is an awkward one because it is being praised for something that I didn't intentionally do, I think in a situation is a really rotten one," Minogue said.
"I found I looked for anything that was positive, anything that was some light coming out of that darkness and that was probably the best thing, along with me getting through it, to know that I've helped some other women, perhaps some men, to be diagnosed early.

"I've had letters to that effect and people tell me that from time to time and you know, I guess I take it for granted that that's my job, that's my life, it's what I do.

"I perform. I get up on stage and do that but for someone in the audience, they might be going through chemotherapy or, you know, their partner is or they've just been diagnosed.

"If they can see me on the stage doing exactly what I did before then [it may give them hope]."
Minogue has this advice for the women in the early stages of diagnosis.

"You need to let the people around you either take care of you or do their job. There is a lot of information to take in and you are not thinking very clearly anyway, but trust in the people around you and let them fuss," she said.

"God, I had to let my mum and dad fuss so much. I don't know how many cups of tea they made.

"Just give yourself a goal, write your own calendar. That's what I found was good.

"I didn't want anyone else writing my calendar. I wanted to know that I could have control of something because you have to give pretty much your life and your body over to other people.
"So keep a little bit of something for yourself."

Earlier this year, Minogue undertook a gruelling world tour of 76 dates, which began in Denmark on February 19.
She brought the $25 million-plus Aphrodite Les Folies tour to North America in May and Australia in June.