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's ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn, 54, has revealed she's been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast .
The journalist and former contestant shared her devastating health news via Instagram on Wednesday, a day after sharing a photo of herself with a shaved head.
'I'm going to have to read this because on my walk this morning, I thought about all the reasons why I made that post yesterday,' Cassandra began, rubbing her newly-clippered hair.
'Most of it is controlling the only part of my treatment and diagnosis that I can. That's the part about when the hair comes off and when you tell people. For my adult children and for myself, I'm not interested in hiding and that's because I'm not alone. I'm not walking a path that is not well travelled by many women before me and I will not be the last.
'Breast cancer affects one in seven women in , which is where I live. I read that sitting for my mammogram not long ago and I was the one in seven that day.'
The mother-of-three then praised the Australian health system for all the assistance she has received so far.
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Karl Stefanovic's ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn, 54, has revealed she's been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer
A day earlier, Cassandra had debuted her shaved head alongside a cryptic caption about life being like 'a box of chocolates'
'My shout-out today is for NSW Breast Screen, who picked up my triple negative occult breast cancer, which is no small feat if you know what occult breast cancer is. I didn't until now.
'I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And when your mammogram reminder arrives in the mail, don't dilly dally. Do as I did, book it straight away.'
She ended her video with optimism, saying: 'It may have flipped my world in days, but there's no 'why me?' There's no 'poor me' here. Just a desire to stop this in it's tracks.'
In the caption, Cassandra simply wrote: 'Shout out to Breastscreen NSW. #tnbc.'
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Triple-negative occult breast cancer is a rare form of breast cancer where no tumour can be found in the breast, but cancer cells - usually discovered in the lymph nodes - are identified as originating from the breast.
The cancer is 'triple-negative,' meaning it lacks estrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors, so it cannot be treated with hormone or HER2-targeted therapies and is typically managed with chemotherapy and other systemic treatments.
On Tuesday, Cassandra indirectly spoke about her diagnosis by sharing an Instagram photo of herself with a newly-shaven head alongside a caption about surprises in life.
'Life really is like a box of chocolates and this chapter is giving me praline or truffle vibes,' she wrote.
She went on to thank her hairdressers at Mosman's Toni&Guy for their clipper treatment, adding: 'It will grow back. Super grateful. #pinkscissors #toniandguyau.'
Toni&Guy's Pink Scissor Program is a complementary hair-cutting service offered to cancer patients.
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Cassandra was married to Today host Karl for 21 years before their acrimonious split in 2016.
The couple share three children: Jackson, 25, Ava, 19, and River, 18.
In recent years, Cassandra has focused on her own projects, including publishing a children’s book (Leo Lion’s Big Bed!), appearing on Dancing With the Stars in 2019, and working in community and care roles.
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