Kelly Hyland is ready to talk about her health. The Dance Moms star revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering a lump in her breast.
“I went from clean results to a malignant mass in eight months,” Kelly, 53, shared with E! News in an interview published Wednesday, May 29. “I was shocked that it had grown that quickly and scared of the battle I knew I was about to face.”
Kelly found a lump in her breast in late March, nearly eight months after having a routine mammogram. Although she received clean results at her last appointment, the reality star’s self-exam pushed her to book another mammogram. After more testing, Kelly’s official diagnosis was invasive carcinoma stage 1, grade 3, meaning that her breast cancer is fast-moving.
“All of my former co-stars are aware of what is going on,” Kelly — who hosts the “Dear Dance Mom…” podcast — shared. “They have been extremely supportive and are willing to film around my treatment schedule and how I’m feeling. I’m very lucky to have such great friends and a flexible job that allows me to keep some normalcy during all of this.”
When sharing her diagnosis on Instagram, Kelly immediately received support from her Dance Moms family including Kalani Hilliker and Maddie Ziegler. “I love you and the kids. Forever have your back,” Christi Lukasiak wrote in the comments section. Jill Vertes added, “You’re so strong Kelly! Keep it up🙏 we are all here for you!!”
Currently on the second of six initial chemotherapy treatments, Kelly told E! she has a long list of appointments and steps to go through. Doctors said surgery and radiation will likely follow after her initial rounds of chemotherapy are complete. Fortunately, Kelly has the help and support of friends and family including daughter Brooke Hyland, 26, son Josh Hyland, 25, and Paige Hyland, 23.
“The toughest part for me has been accepting help from the people around me,” she said. “I am a very independent person and, as a mom, I’m used to being the one taking care of people, not the one being taken care of.”
If you ask Kelly’s kids, they are confident their mom will feel better soon. “I feel very hopeful that it is only at stage one,” Josh told E! “I feel like she caught it quickly. I know my mom is strong enough to get through this.”