Elle Macpherson, an Australian supermodel and actress recognized for her roles in “Sirens” and “The Edge,” has opened up about her battle with breast cancer, seven years after receiving her diagnosis.
“It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly in an interview published on Sept. 2.
Although Macpherson’s physician initially recommended a comprehensive treatment plan that included undergoing a mastectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy, followed by rounds of hormone therapy, the entrepreneur decided to embark on an alternative path.
Rejecting the conventional treatment options, Macpherson opted to pursue a more “holistic approach” to her recovery with the guidance of a team of specialists, including her primary doctor, who specializes in naturopathic medicine, a chiropractor, a holistic dentist, and an osteopathic physician.
“It really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me,” she said.
“I realised I was going to need my own truth, my belief system to support me through it. And that’s what I did. So, it was a wonderful exercise in being true to myself, trusting myself and trusting the nature of my body and the course of action that I had chosen,” she told the publication.
After spending eight months adhering to her holistic treatment regimen, Macpherson said she is now “in clinical remission.”
‘Learning to Trust Yourself’
Macpherson touches on her breast cancer journey in her new memoir, “Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself,” out Sept. 3.Addressing her decision to utilize alternative treatment methods, the WelleCo founder wrote that she realized there “was no sure thing and absolutely no guarantees,” adding: “There was no ‘right’ way, just the right way for me.”
She continued: “Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But saying no to my own inner sense would have been even harder.
“Sometimes an authentic choice from the heart makes no sense to others ... but it doesn’t have to. People thought I was crazy but I knew I had to make a choice that truly resonated with me. To me, that meant addressing emotional as well as physical factors associated with breast cancer. It was time for deep, inner reflection. And that took courage.”
In her memoir, Macpherson—who shares two children, Arpad Flynn, 26, and Aurelius Cy, 21, with her former partner, French investor Arpad Busson—also shared her family’s response to her decision to forgo traditional cancer treatment.
“Cy simply thought that chemo kills you. And so he never wanted me to do it because he thought that was a kiss of death. Flynn, being more conventional, wasn’t comfortable with my choice at all. He is my son, though, and would support me through anything and love me through my choices, even if he didn’t agree with them,” she wrote. “My children were extremely supportive in their different ways but I knew they felt very scared.”
Macpherson noted that Busson was also “really supportive” of her throughout her cancer battle.
“He didn’t agree with what I was doing,” she offered. “Yet he wrote to me to tell me how proud he was of the courage I was showing. Of course he was scared because I'd decided not to take a conventional pharmaceutical route. He considered that extreme. I, on the other hand, felt the chemo and surgery route was extreme.”
“This book encapsulates all of my life learnings. I share my story so you can see that all things are possible if you embrace, believe, love and trust yourself.”
