Harry Connick Jr., Wife Jill Reveal 'Hardest Days' With Cancer Battle
Harry Connick Jr. and his wife Jill Goodacre are opening up about her emotional battle with breast cancer for the first time this week.
Five years ago, the former supermodel was diagnosed with a stage 1 invasive breast cancer. While she has been in remission for nearly five years, Goodacre has had to undergo two surgeries, radiation and currently takes medication to help prevent the return of the cancer. Goodacre and her singer husband, Connick, opened up about these health issues on his daytime talk show "Harry" Thursday along with People magazine.
The cancer diagnosis that rocked their family was one of the toughest moments the former model said she has undergone.
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"I'll never forget it. It's one of the hardest days of my life," Goodacre said on "Harry."
Connick lost his mother to ovarian cancer at the age of 13, which may have contributed to some initial fear that he would lose his wife when she was diagnosed.
"She's my best friend, and I really don't know what I would do without her ... I was scared I was going to lose her, absolutely," the actor, musician and talk show host told People this week. " I wasn't going to let her see that, but I was. I know from losing my mom that the worst can happen."
While Goodacre and Connick have made great strides in their battle against breast cancer, the model who once appeared in Victoria's Secret campaigns admitted that the weight gain from her Tamoxifen medication has taken an emotional toll on her.
"I've always been a pretty fit person, and so to be just rounder and heavier and not to really be able to do much about it — that's been hard," she told People. "It's taken a lot out of my self-confidence."
Goodacre explained why the couple chose to wait five years before sharing their story with the world this week, during Breast Cancer Awareness month.
"It wasn't like we were superstitious, like if we said something about being in the clear we'd somehow jinx it," Goodacre told People. "But we wanted to be well on the other side of things before we told everybody. The doctors all say that after the five-year mark, things look optimistic, so we're starting to feel pretty good."
The couple hopes that other people can benefit from hearing their story.
"...If this info can help just one person, we're happy," Connick wrote on Instagram.
Before Connick shared his wife's story on his daytime talk show, he spoke to The Christian Post about using his platform to connect with other people.
"I think most of us around this country have the same types of values. How do we do a show that celebrates faith and celebrates family and celebrates community — without preaching about it?" Connick told CP. "I'm proud of my faith, but the show isn't about that, per se. It's about all of the things that we celebrate and we value together."
He added, "I think my show, at its best, will transcend the specificity of what people may believe and speak to them as Americans and as human beings."
