Kelly Hyland, a former singer of “Dance Moms,” has been diagnosed with breast cancer that is spreading rapidly
Former “Dance Moms” star Kelly Hyland announced on Instagram on Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Hyland, 53, said rapid weight loss was the first sign something was wrong. When she felt a lump in her breast in March, she immediately booked a mammogram, she told E! News in an exclusive interview.
“I had just had a mammogram eight months earlier and the results were normal,” Hyland said. But that exam confirmed she had a tumor in her breast, and the subsequent biopsy showed she had stage 1, grade 3 breast cancer — the most aggressive and rapidly progressing type of malignancy, according to the American Cancer Society.
On “Dance Moms,” Hyland was one of several mothers who supervised their daughters’ dance routines under teacher Abby Lee Miller. Hyland appeared in four seasons between 2011 and 2014 alongside her teenage daughters Paige and Brooke, now 26 and 23.
Hyland’s children, including her son Josh, stood by her after she shared the news with them in a sad phone call, E! News reported. Hyland’s daughter Paige told E! News that she went through a “whirlwind of emotions” after her grandmother, Hyland’s mother, died of breast cancer in 2019.
“I knew there was still a long road ahead and it pained me to imagine my mom going through the same feeling,” Paige told E! News. Just three days before announcing her diagnosis, Hyland congratulated her mother in a post: “Happy birthday to our heavenly angel NANA, we all love you and miss you so much!”
Brooke’s recent engagement to Brian Thalman earlier this month has provided Hyland with some joyful respite despite the news about her health.
“Wedding planning will be a great distraction,” Hyland told E! News.
Hyland left “Dance Moms” in 2014, but co-hosts two podcasts inspired by the show: “Dear Dance Mom” and “Back to the Barre.” Hyland has continued to record episodes with her former costars while undergoing cancer treatment.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
