Kylie Minogue
- Profession: Singer
- Place/Date of Birth: Melbourne, Australia, 28 May 2020
- Assiociated with: Dannii Minogue, Jason Donovan
"It’s a bit like being in an atomic explosion and people asking you how to describe it, ’So, exactly how big is the hole?’ I don’t think anyone who hasn’t had it can understand it."
Kylie, who was given the all-clear in January, also told how boyfriend, French actor Olivier Martinez, helped pull her through her darkest moments.
"He is the most honourable man I have ever met. He’s surprising," she said.
"On particularly dark days I’d be lying on the bathroom floor wailing and he’d say, ’OK honey, you can cry for just five minutes, then I’m taking you on a bike ride around Paris.’
"So I’d howl a bit more then I’d find myself thinking, ’Hmmm. Actually, a ride on the bike sounds pretty good’."
The singer is now getting ready to resume her sell-out Showgirl tour, which she was forced to cancel after her diagnosis.
It kicks off in Sydney, Australia, next week.
Kylie launches her children’s book - Oct 1, 2020
Kylie Minogue looked every inch the pop princess as she took time out from rehearsals for her comeback tour to launch her new children’s book.
The Aussie pop star, now in remission from breast cancer, wowed her younger fans with her fairytale dress at the launch of The Showgirl Princess at the Waterstone’s flagship store on London’s Oxford Street.
Fans said the star, wearing a knee length dress decorated with large flowers and sequins and with big wizard-like sleeves, looked the picture of good health despite her recent battle with cancer.
Brigitte Hondius, 34 from Harrow-on-the-Hill said: "She was fantastic, beautiful - a real princess. She looked in very good health and was great with all the children."
Mrs Hondius’s daughter Megan, 6, had posed for pictures with the singer and sat her on her lap but was so stunned she couldn’t remember what they had talked about.
Another fan, Lauren Hodgson, 8, from Ryton in Newcastle-upon-Tyne had set off at 2.30am to make the exclusive book signing.
Dressed in her own princess outfit, Lauren said: "Kylie was asking how long it took to find my outfit. It was so amazing to meet her."
Dawn Grant, 39, who had accompanied Lauren after her mother broke her foot, said: "She looked really well considering what she has gone through. She is so small and petite but has struggled on and got right through it."
Kylie, 38, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and forced to cancel the end of her Showgirl tour.
She is now in remission following surgery and chemotherapy and is set to return to the stage in Australia in November.
Kylie made her comeback at Sir Elton John’s party - June 30, 2020
Kylie Minogue made her showbiz comeback at Sir Elton John’s annual charity bash last night (29.06.06). The pop singer - who was given the all-clear from breast cancer in January - was guest of honour at the star-studded White Tie and Tiara Ball. The 38-year-old, who looked radiant in a lacy white top and ?3 million worth of diamonds, said the party was her "official coming out".
A source said: "Kylie’s really getting back into the swing of things, and she really wanted to say thank you to Elton for all his help. "He’s been really supportive and concerned throughout her illness." Kylie was just one of a galaxy of stars invited to the event at Elton’s plush Windsor mansion, which raises money for his Aids foundation.
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In 1986 Kylie was offered the role of Charlene Mitchell in upcoming soap Neighbours. Her storylines made her a household name in both Australia and the UK and the on screen wedding between Charlene and Scott Robinson (played by Jason Donovan) attracted record numbers of viewers.
Whilst performing The Locomotion on stage at a benefit in 1987 Kylie was spotted by representatives of Mushroom Records who signed her up and released the track. The success of her first release saw Kylie travel to London to meet with pop moguls Stock Aitken and Waterman who penned I Should Be So Lucky for her on the spot. The single was a smash and launched Kylie as one to watch and indeed her debut album became the biggest seller of the year here in the UK.
Panned by critics, Especially For You, a duet recorded with Jason Donovan (by this time a pop star in his own right) was a huge hit in 1989 but Kylie’s follow up album, Enjoy Yourself, whilst successful in Europe and Australia flopped in the US, resulting in the singer being dropped by her American label.
1990 saw Kylie make the first radical adjustment to her image. Gone was the cutesy girl next door in favour of a more sexy look for Better The Devil You Know, while a relationship with bad boy rocker Michael Hutchence cemented Kylie’s new ’cool’ status. Rhythm of Love produced several well received dance-orientated singles and was enough of a success to persuade Kylie to produce a further album despite her contract with PWA being up. Let’s Get To It was a critical success but was her first release to miss the top ten. Realising that she was stifled by the Stock Aitken and Waterman formula she recorded three new tracks for a Greatest Hits album and made a break for it.
So it was time for another change in direction. Kylie went indie following her signing to Deconstruction Records and Confide in Me spent several weeks at the Aussie top spot. The self titled album released alongside sold reasonably well although it received mixed reviews from the press while follow up singles eached top twenty. Elsewhere Kylie went extra dark, appearing on Nick Cave’s Where The Wild Roses Grow, a move which promised a more credible pop star in the future.
By 1997 Kylie had overhauled her image again, and the release of Impossible Princess the following year reflected that. A collaboration with the Manic Street Preachers wasn’t enough to stop the album from becoming the least successful of her releases and the end of Kylie’s pop career looked near.
However a split with Deconstruction resulted in Kylie hooking up with Parlophone and in an explosion of gold glitter and disco the pop starlet burst back on to the scene in an unfeasibly small pair of gold hotpants to promote Spinning Around and accompanying album Light Years. The single was Kylie’s first UK number one in ten years and resulted in a duet with Robbie Williams and a sell out tour. However, it was 2001’s Fever which cemented Kylie’s future. The unforgettable video for impossibly catchy single Can’t Get You Out Of My Head ensured that the track reached number one in over 40 countries. Follow up singles were almost equally successful and the awards flooded in while next album, Body Language, was another hit while Ultimate Kylie, a greatest hits release was accompanied by a lavish tour.
It was during this time that Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer, much to the shock of her fans. Her headline slot at Glastonbury was cancelled and the rest of the Showgirl tour was postponed but after treatment from Australia and France’s best doctors Kylie was back on the scene looking better than ever. She began work on a new album and released a children’s book The Showgirl Princess closely followed by a perfume, Darling. She resumed her Showgirl tour and split with French boyfriend Olivier Martinez.
Elsewhere Kylie’s film career has been slightly less successful than her musical one. From The Deliquents to Street Fighter she has been panned for her on screen work her only success coming in the form of the green absinthe fairy in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!
updated March 2007
October 2007