Major CNN Host’s Cancer Has Returned

CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour’s ovarian cancer has returned as the international journalist announced she is battling the disease for a third time.

The international journalist, 67, shared an update on her health during Thursday’s episode of the Changing the Ovarian Cancer Story podcast, revealing that her cancer had returned for the second time since her original diagnosis in May 2021.

“I have it again. But it’s being very well managed, and so this is one of the things that people have to understand about some cancers,” she told host Hannah Vaughan Jones, explaining, “I obviously had all of the relevant organs removed, but it came back a couple times in a lymph node.”

Amanpour has been undergoing immunotherapy to treat her recurrence, which she called “the opposite of grueling” in comparison to her previous chemotherapy treatments. The journalist pointed out that her cancer was detected for the second and third time due to regular check-ups every three months, which she called a “superb insurance policy.”

Amanpour announced her first cancer diagnosis in May 2021, undergoing surgery 10 days later, followed by 18 weeks of chemotherapy. She was back reporting in the field within six months of her chemotherapy completion.

“I decided when I got back in front of the camera after four weeks — which included the surgery and a couple of weeks of recuperation before I started chemotherapy — I decided to say something because I actually wanted to do a service,” Amanpour explained of her decision to share her cancer journey with the world, adding, “Not just to my viewers, but also to those who might be in a similar situation. And I wanted to say what had happened to me. And I wanted to say listen to your body because part of the reason I got such quick care was because I listened to my body and went straight to the doctors.”

Amanpour got emotional as she recalled the support she’s received during her treatments over the years.

“I never actually asked for help before…and when I did, I got it,” she said. “From my family, my friends, my colleagues, from everybody. And it was touching, but it was really helpful, really amazing.”

“It really sustained me because it’s not just the illness, it’s the state of mind,” she continued. “And to have all these people who just literally every day were asking me how I was, how they could help…the community is actually vital and I’m just so very lucky that I had that.”