Kylie Minogue seems to have found an incredible strength after battling breast cancer. After undergoing surgery on in May of 2005 in Australia, Minogue went through several rounds of chemotherapy, and appears to now be in good health. She seems to have a really great, balanced perspective on life, and even though she says her body isn’t what it used to be, it doesn’t seem to bother her all that much.

“Kylie Minogue is learning how to live with her new body post cancer, and it’s as much an emotional battle as it is physical. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, the singer opened up about her battle with the disease to British Glamour magazine in the November issue.

“‘When you are stripped of everything and you have to grow your eyelashes back, grow your hair back, it’s just astonishing,’ she said. ‘It’s hard to express what I’ve learned from that, but a deep psychological and emotional shift has obviously taken place.’

“The physical shift is most noticeable, and she remains upbeat. ‘As far as my body goes, I’ve shrunk to nothing … I’ve ballooned – my body is not what it used to be,’ she said. ‘But it is the body I am in.’”

[From People]

It never even occurred to me that you’d obviously lose other body hair besides the hair on your head when you go through chemo. It’s so sad and shocking to hear about so many young women dealing with breast cancer, and it’s a reminder that bad things still happen regardless of fame. We often sit around thinking our lives would be perfect if we were just a little bit famous, but then you remember you can still get cancer, still get into a car crash, or still lose your kids.

Kylie says that she’d like to start a family someday, but seems uncertain whether she’ll ever get married.

“Minogue, 39, split with her boyfriend actor Olivier Martinez earlier this year, but insists she is still optimistic for the happy-ever-after scenario. ‘I want to keep working on finding perfect harmony within my life and my work,’ the singer tells the magazine. ‘And a family, yeah, that’s still something I would love to happen.’

“She is careful to put any rumors of reconciliation with Martinez to rest. ‘I think he has a girlfriend, I’m not entirely sure, but it’s not true.’ But Minogue, who is currently not dating, adds wistfully, ‘I honestly don’t have a feeling one way or the other if I will walk down the aisle.’

“For now the singer is focused on reducing her working day to ‘like 9-5 hours,’ and spending more time in her garden. ‘What I believed before my illness has only been enhanced since, and that’s that beauty comes from within,’ she said.”

[From People]

Hopefully Kylie will remain cancer-free. I don’t know nearly as much as I should about breast cancer, and I couldn’t find any information about her long-term prognosis. Let’s hope she stays positive, as it sounds like she’s gained a lot of strength, and that’s incredibly important.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s several pics of Kylie post-cancer. Her body still looks incredible to me. Images thanks to PR Photos.