Cassandra Thorburn, the ex-wife of television presenter Karl Stefanovic, has been seen in public for the first time since announcing she is battling a rare form of breast cancer. The 54-year-old former journalist was spotted shopping in Sydney's Mosman on Thursday, appearing in good spirits.
Dressed in a singlet top, black skirt and sandals, Ms Thorburn carried a Chemist Warehouse bag and wore a tightly cropped haircut. She accessorised with tinted glasses, drop earrings and a multi-layer bracelet.
On Wednesday, Ms Thorburn shared a video on Instagram revealing her diagnosis. She explained that she had shaved her head to control what she could of her treatment. 'I'm not interested in hiding, and that's because I'm not alone,' she said, noting that breast cancer affects one in seven women in New South Wales.
She praised BreastScreen NSW for detecting her triple-negative occult breast cancer, a rare type where no tumour is found in the breast but cancer cells are present in the lymph nodes. The cancer lacks oestrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors, meaning it cannot be treated with hormone or targeted therapies.
Ms Thorburn urged women to book mammograms promptly. 'It may have flipped my world in days, but there's no "why me?"' she said. 'Just a desire to stop this in its tracks.'
