Former Bachelorette star Katie Thurston announced that she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 34-year-old season 17 alum shared the “life update” on February 15, saying she learned of her diagnosis earlier in the month but was still waiting to find out what stage her cancer is at.
“I experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks,” she wrote on Instagram. “Despair. Anger. Sadness. Denial. And then strength.”
Thurston said she and her fiancé, comedian Jeff Arcuri, had planned to “travel the world before planting roots together in NYC,” but things have since changed with her diagnosis. She said that due to her medical insurance still being “active in L.A. and [not] in NY,” she’s forced to move back to Los Angeles “for more testing and treatment,” including both chemotherapy and a mastectomy.
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“Yesterday I saw all the couples post their Valentine’s Day celebrations. I felt envious if I’m being honest,” she shared, adding that instead of celebrating with Arcuri, she spent the day “coordinating a place to live” once back in L.A. and trying to “figure out insurance for NYC and laws on preexisting conditions.”
Despite all the emotions, Thurston said she’s “ready to fight” the disease, thanking other young women who have shared similar stories as well as her fiancé for his “selfless love.”
Thurston and Arcuri started dating last year and got engaged in September, after just four months.
The TV personality came to prominence as part of Bachelor Nation when she competed for Matt James’ heart in 2020. She was promoted to lead of The Bachelorette the following season.
She ended the show engaged to Blake Moynes, though they called it quits two months after the finale aired. She then briefly dated former contestant John Hersey before ending that relationship in June 2022.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News (TNS)
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