These amazing women didn’t just conquer cancer, some of them even became mothers after kicking the disease.

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Here’s a scary statistic ― one in eight women will be get a breast cancer diagnosis, nor are celebrity mums spared this dread disease.

 

Just take Hollywood actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 56, who’s just announced that she is on the road to recovery after being told she has breast cancer. Louis-Dreyfus’ diagnosis came a day after she picked up her sixth Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in the political comedy Veep.

 

The comedienne has been receiving an outpouring of support from family, friends and fellow colleagues ― especially from her celeb sisters who have also valiantly battled this condition. Many of these women did not only put up a brave front while dealing with the disease in the spotlight, but also used their A-list status to create more awareness and improve research for breast cancer.

 

Scroll through the photo gallery to find out who these wonder women are… 

#1 Frances Yip

More than two decades ago, legendary Hong Kong singer Frances Yip was told of her breast cancer while she was in the prime of her life and career. The diagnosis came as a complete shock, since Yip, who is now 70 and a grandmother, had always been strict about her diet and exercise regime. “You read about it and hear stories about people with cancer but still, you don’t think it will happen to you. Well, it happened to me and it was a real wake-up call,” Yip once said in an interview. Lucky for her, the tumour was in its early stages ― half the size of her little finger ― it was swiftly removed, followed by six weeks of radiotherapy. While she admitted to going through depression during the ordeal, Yip says she’s thankful she did her breast examination religiously which lead to early detection. (Photo: The Straits Times) 

#2 Pan Ling Ling

It was at a charity golf tournament four years ago that Mediacorp actress Pan Ling Ling got an urgent call from her doctor about her diagnosis. The veteran actress, who had done her annual check-up days before that, had six cysts in her left breast. One of which was a malignant 2.8cm-wide lump. Pan, who had a partial mastectomy done, underwent five months of chemotherapy. Needless to say her aggressive treatment plan took a toll on her health. “I lost most of my hair…My eyebrows and eyelashes were all gone. I also put on around 10kg. However, I stayed positive throughout the illness. The only time I broke down was when my elder son posted a message on Instagram that read, ‘My mommy is a warrior’”, Pan said in an earlier interview with SmartParents. With a newfound lease on life, Pan did something she had never before in her decades of acting. After she went into remission, Pan took on her first English-speaking role on Channel 5’s Mata Mata 2. “I was very excited about the opportunity,” she adds. (Photo: SmartParents) 

#3 Christina Applegate

When Bad Mom’s star Christina Applegate found a lump in one breast in 2008, she took the proactive approach and opted for a double mastectomy. It was a bold move for the actress who was only 36 then, and still hopeful to have a baby. But it also meant drastically reducing the chances of the cancer spreading or even coming back, especially since the disease ran in her family. Her own mother had beaten breast cancer twice before. Speaking about her initial reaction to the diagnosis, Applegate, 45, said in an interview, “I was just shaking and then also immediately, I had to go into ‘take-care-of-business-mode’ which included a change to a more healthy diet.” Her efforts paid off, as the actress has been cancer-free for almost a decade and even went on to have a baby, Sadie Grace, in January 2011. (Photo: Christina Applegate Instagram) 

#4 Giuliana Rancic

In 2011, while undergoing a round of in-vitro fertilisation, doctors found a lump in E! News anchor Giuliana Rancic’s, 43, breasts during routine fertility treatment. Rancic, who was then only 36, underwent a double mastectomy a few months after announcing her diagnosis. It was a trying time, one which Rancic admits she wouldn’t have been able to get through without her husband, entrepreneur Bill Rancic’s, 46, support. “My husband was everything throughout the process, from getting diagnosed ‘til today," she said in an interview. “…I can't even imagine having gone through breast cancer without having an incredible person by my side to help me through it.” Although the health scare threw a wrench in their plans to start a family, the Rancics welcomed a baby via a surrogate in 2012. (Photo: Giuliana Rancic Instagram) 

#5 Cynthia Nixon

After Cynthia Nixon’s diagnosis in 2006, the “Sex And The City” star, admits to keeping her condition on the down low because of the stigma attached to it. When she eventually opened up about it years later, the mum-of-three talked about kicking cancer’s butt through a combination of a lumpectomy and radiation. When asked what inspired her to talk about her condition, Nixon, 51 ― whose mum is also a breast cancer survivor ― replied that she hoped it would inspire other women who might be at risk for it. “The main thing I have to tell women is to get your mammograms and don't delay,” Nixon said in an interview. (Photo: Cynthia Nixon Instagram) 

#6 Edie Falco

Best known for her roles in The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie, Edie Falco, 54, sees her 2003 breast cancer scare as a blessing in disguise. For years the veteran actress had wanted to become a mother, but never found the right time. Her “a-ha” moment came after she went into remission. “When I realised cancer wasn't going to kill me, the answer was clear…every cell in my body needed and wanted to be a mother,” Falco once said. “For years I'd been waiting to start a family, but cancer has a way of making you reprioritise.” After she was given the all-clear health-wise, Falco, who is single, went on to adopt a son in 2005, followed by a daughter in 2008. (Photo: TV Guide)

#7 Sheryl Crow

In 2006, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow ended her three-year romance with fiancé and now disgraced Tour de France cyclist Lance Armstrong. Three weeks later, she was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive form of breast cancer. “I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year,” Crow, 55, wrote on her website. “I am inspired by the brave women who have faced this battle before me and grateful for the support of family and friends.” Since the cancer was detected early during a routine mammogram, doctors gave Crow a positive prognosis. The rocker was even able to bypass chemotherapy and opted for seven weeks of radiation instead. She combined her medical treatments with natural remedies, such as acupuncture and herbal teas. The mum-of-two boys ― whom she adopted after her health scare ― also opened the Sheryl Crow Imaging Center in 2010, which uses the latest and most advanced digital mammography technology. (Photo: Sheryl Crow Instagram)

#8 Rita Wilson

It was a good thing that Hollywood actress Rita Wilson, 60, got a second opinion about her health back in 2015 when she was feeling unwell. It Only then was her breast cancer diagnosis confirmed. “… A second opinion is critical to your health,” Wilson said in an interview. “You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything to gain if something that was missed was found. I hope this will encourage others to get a second opinion and trust their instincts if something doesn't 'feel' right.” Wilson, who’s married to fellow Hollywood A-lister Tom Hanks, 61, and has two kids with him, underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Despite her age, she bounced back almost immediately, returning to Broadway just a month after her surgery. (Photo: Rita Wilson Instagram)

#9 Angelina Jolie

Although she never officially had breast cancer, actress Angelina Jolie tested positive for the BRCA1 gene a few years back. Losing both her mother and grandmother to cancer prompted Jolie to take the test, which meant she has a 40 to 85 per cent chance of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer in her lifetime. The mum-of-five then took matters into her own hands, undergoing a preventive double mastectomy, plus removing her ovaries and fallopian tubes. This drastically reduces her risk of getting a deadly disease. “It is not easy to make these decisions. But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue,” Jolie wrote in an essay for The New York Times. “You can seek advice, learn about the options, and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power.” (Photo: Angelina Jolie Instagram)