Rita Ora’s World ‘Crumpled’ After Mother’s Cancer Diagnosis, Sparking Hypochondria

Rita Ora opened up about her ‘tough’ years as a teenager as her world ‘crumbled’ after her mother Vera was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

The British singer, 34, was only 13-years-old when her mother was diagnosed in 2005 at the age of 39 with her undergoing a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation.

Rita, who has previously said she has experienced PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and panic attacks in the wake of Vera’s health battle, revealed she now has hypochondria and regularly gets health check-ups.

Opening up to Davina McCall on her Begin Again podcast, the pop star reflected on her mother’s health battle. 

She said: ‘It was tough seeing something that you believe has always and is always going to be there just sort of like crumble in front of you. 

‘Even when you’re a kid, I was a teenager, I was 13 and I was very confused.

Rita Ora opened up about her ‘tough’ years as a teenager as her world ‘crumbled’ after her mother Vera was diagnosed with breast cancer

The British singer, 34, was only 13-years-old when her mother was diagnosed in 2005 at the age of 39 and underwent a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation; pictured together in 2019

‘I wanted to be with her all the time but she wanted me to go to school you know, I was going to a really great school that they were paying for amongst all of the treatments that she was doing, it was a really hard time for them my parents.’

Rita said that seeing Vera’s whole treatment process ‘trickled into her own health’ and she started going to the doctors ‘too many times’ herself. 

She continued: ‘It’s insane the ratings and the percentages of breast cancer and that definitely got me worried and checked and going to get my checks regularly and and it kind of trickled into my own health I guess because I was definitely seeing the whole experience with my mother.

‘I definitely wanted to be there for her so I didn’t realise actually that that was a thing until I started therapy.

‘I was like “Oh maybe I’m going to the doctors too many times.” But I do believe that is the reason because I saw that happen and that whole treatment process.’

The singer added that her mum has PTSD and ‘never ending fear’ around the times of her regular check-ups as there is always that ‘what if’ scenario.  

She added: ‘She still feels that way too when she gets her checkups, you have to always have your regular checkups and my mother always has that fear just during that period of what if and of course that’s PTSD. 

‘God knows what that must have felt like to go through it but yeah, it’s a never ending fear that will happen when you have that one lifechanging experience’.

Rita, who has previously said she has experienced PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and panic attacks in the wake of Vera’s health battle, revealed she now has hypochondria and regularly gets health check-ups

Opening up to Davina McCall on her Begin Again podcast, the pop star said: ‘It was tough seeing something that you believe is always going to be there just sort of like crumble in front of you’

She said: ‘I wanted to be with her all the time but she wanted me to go to school you know, I was going to a really great school that they were paying for amongst all of the treatments that she was doing, it was a really hard time for them my parents’

In February 2019, Rita’s mother Vera discussed being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39 while appearing on Loose Women. 

Vera emotionally explained: ‘The journey I had was really tough. At a young age treatment tends to me more rigorous and prolonged. 

‘When it’s diagnosed young, the treatment gets to be more intense, I had chemo, radiotherapy and a mastectomy.’

In 2022, Rita broke down in tears as she spoke about her mother’s battle with breast cancer on an episode of The Voice Australia.

At the time, she was moved by contestant Aleisha Gam’s story, as she spoke about her own mother’s cancer battle.  

‘My mum’s been struggling with cancer for the last two years…’ Aleisha, 26, told the coaches, explaining that she hoped her mother could ‘feel my love’ in her song.  

Her raw honesty inspired Rita to detail her own family’s experience with cancer, something she admitted she’s reluctant to talk about publicly.

‘I know how it feels to sort of have that connection with a song, and then that memory always sticks with that song,’ Rita began, wiping tears from her eyes.

‘My mum, she also had cancer. When she would go and get her treatment, and she was losing her hair and stuff, we were kind of teenagers,’ she continued, her voice breaking.

Rita said that seeing Vera’s whole treatment process ‘trickled into her own health’ and she started going to the doctors ‘too many times’ herself

She continued: ‘It’s insane the percentages of breast cancer and that definitely got me worried and going to get my checks regularly and it kind of trickled into my own health’

‘I was like “Oh maybe I’m going to the doctors too many times.” But I do believe that is the reason because I saw that happen and that whole treatment process’, she added

‘It was really weird to see your mum, like, not be the superhero that you always think your mum is going to be…

‘Because you never think your parents are going to sort of, like, break down in front of you, you know what I mean?’

Taking a deep breath, she added: ‘And then you have to sort of put them together… I can’t even speak.’

After taking a moment to compose herself, Rita explained her mother had had breast cancer, but said she was a ‘survivor’.

‘It’s also something she talks about. She’s a survivor, but she had it super young, and I think it’s so important to have that memory with them,’ she continued.

She added: ‘I just wanted to put that out there. I don’t really talk about my mum like that… It’s really hard.’  

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?

What is breast cancer?

It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.

When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.

Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.

Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.

What causes breast cancer?

A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.

Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign. 

The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

• Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
• Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.

If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.

• Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
• Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
• Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
• Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.

How successful is treatment?

The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.

The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.

For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000