Elle Macpherson refused chemotherapy after breast cancer diagnosis
The Australian supermodel says she is in remission after opting for a ‘heart-led, holistic approach’ to her diagnosis against the advice of 32 doctors.
Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson has revealed that she is in remission from breast cancer, despite refusing chemotherapy against the advice of 32 doctors.
The 60-year-old model, actor, and wellness entrepreneur disclosed her diagnosis, which she had kept secret until now, in her upcoming memoir Elle: Life, Lessons and Learning to Trust Yourself.
In a cover story for the Australian Women’s Weekly promoting the memoir, Macpherson described her journey following a lumpectomy and a diagnosis of HER2-positive oestrogen receptor intraductal carcinoma, a specific type of breast cancer.
She detailed that her doctors recommended an aggressive treatment plan that included a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, and breast reconstruction.
Macpherson, who was dating Andrew Wakefield, a disgraced former physician known for his anti-vaccination stance at the time, chose to forego traditional medicine in favour of a holistic approach.
Wakefield gained notoriety in the late 1990s for publishing a study that falsely linked the MMR vaccine to autism, a claim that was later discredited. His research was deemed fraudulent, and he was struck off the medical register in 2010. Despite his discrediting, Wakefield remains a vocal figure in the anti-vaccination movement.
Macpherson did not attribute her treatment decisions directly to Wakefield’s influence, instead emphasising her treatment journey as “an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach.”
For eight months, the WelleCo founder rented a house in Phoenix, Arizona, where she says she “holistically treated” her cancer. Her approach was guided by a team that included a primary doctor, a naturopath, a holistic dentist, an osteopath, a chiropractor, and two therapists.
In her book, Macpherson described her decision to forgo conventional treatment as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” adding, “But saying no to my own inner sense would have been even harder.” She also felt that “the chemo and surgery route was extreme.”
“People thought I was crazy, but I knew I had to make a choice that truly resonated with me. To me, that meant addressing emotional as well as physical factors associated with breast cancer. It was time for deep, inner reflection.”
Reflecting on the experience, she said, “It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways, and it really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me.”
Macpherson says that she is now in clinical remission, which she referred to as “utter wellness.”
“Truly, from every perspective, every blood test, every scan, every imaging test … but also emotionally, spiritually, and mentally — not only physically,” she explained.
Macpherson says she received mixed reactions from her family. Her youngest son, 21-year-old Cy, was supportive of her decision because he thought chemotherapy was “a kiss of death,” but her eldest, 26-year-old Flynn, and the boys’ father, Arki Busson, “didn’t agree” with her approach.
“Flynn, being more conventional, wasn’t comfortable with my choice at all,” she wrote. “He is my son, though, and would support me through anything and love me through my choices, even if he didn’t agree with them.”
This year, Macpherson celebrated the 10th anniversary of her company WelleCo — a wellness empire that peddles a range of supplements and was reportedly worth more than $300m.
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