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Rita Ora Reveals Lasting Mental Toll of Mother's Breast Cancer

On Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast she described caring for her mother at 13 as the catalyst for her lifelong commitment to regular screenings following the trauma of her illness.

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Overview

  • At age 13, Ora became primary caregiver to her mother, Vera, through a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation after Vera’s 2005 breast cancer diagnosis.
  • The experience triggered PTSD, panic attacks and hypochondria over inheriting a breast cancer gene.
  • Genetic testing confirmed she does not carry the BRCA mutation, but she maintains religious self-examinations and screenings.
  • Watching her mother battle cancer twice inspired Ora to leverage her fame for women’s health advocacy.
  • She has campaigned for regular mammogram checks, warning that pandemic lockdowns disrupted hundreds of routine appointments.