The singer has been open about her battle with cancer in recent months
The 37-year-old is one of the UK’s most popular singers(Image: Getty Images)
Jessie J is making her TV comeback on Strictly Come Dancing, after recently admitting she thought she was ‘going to die’ amid her cancer battle.
The popular Price Tag singer is set to be back on TV screens across the county as the BBC dancing competition makes its return on Saturday night (September 20).
Former Love Island winner Dani Dyer, EastEnders Balvinder Sopal and Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink are among the 15 stars taking part in the 23rd season of Strictly.
The launch show was recorded on Wednesday, September 10, with the programme never going out live for its series premiere.
It emerged through ITV talk show Lorraine’s Hollywood reporter Ross King that not only did Jessie J perform on the night, but she was ‘phenomenal’.
Jessie rose to fame in the early 2010s when her debut single Do It like a Dude rose to number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
From here she topped the charts in 19 countries with Price Tag and became the first British female artist to have six top-ten singles from a sole studio album, her debut Who You Are.
Releasing four studio albums to date, Jessie previously served as a judge on the first two seasons of The Voice, where she worked with Will.i.am, Tom Jones and The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue.
Jessie made headlines in 2018 when she won the sixth season of the Chinese singing competition show Singer, becoming the first non-Chinese contestant to do so.
Jessie J following her first surgery(Image: Jessie J Instagram)
Fans of the singer have been provided updates on social media in recent months after she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
The 37-year-old star had a full mastectomy performed back in June, just weeks after she performed at Capital’s Summertime Ball at London’s Wembley Stadium.
She said at the time: “For those asking for a health update. l am 11 days post surgery. I’m good. Missing being an active Mum / human the most. But it’s been nice to slow down and Sky is having a blast with Nanny and Grandad.
“It’s still uncomfortable/a little painful but l can handle that. I’m doing my exercises and taking all the healthy things. I have been trying to eat super clean.
“I have stopped all pain meds. Just not my thing. I’d also like to feel how it feels so I don’t overdo it.”
In August, Jessie revealed on social media that she’s set to undergo another surgery later this year, telling her fans that she ‘can do it’.
Due to her surgery, her upcoming UK and Europe dates will need to be moved to new dates next year, whilst the US leg has been cancelled altogether.
Last month also saw her appear on Jamie Laing’s Great Company podcast, with the interview recorded in two parts, before and after her surgery. However, only the second part was being released.
Speaking to Made In Chelsea star Jamie, Jessie shined a light on how her cancer diagnosis affected her relationship with her two-year-old son Sky, who she shares with her professional basketball player boyfriend Chanan Colman
“Yesterday I sobbed. I feel like I can’t be a mum to my son and I miss him. I feel like cancer has robbed me of memories with my boy,” she said.
Jessie added: “I had moments where I thought, ‘this is going to go left and I’m going to die.”
When it came to the moment she learned she had cancer, Jessie noted that she ‘burst into tears’ because her doctor previously said ‘it was probably just a cyst’ and she ‘wasn’t too worried’.
Telling Jamie that her Capital Summertime Ball performance ‘replayed’ in her head when she was ‘put to sleep’, Jessie admitted that the ‘euphoria and energy’ from the gig was a major help.
“I wish everyone who has ever been diagnosed with anything scary could experience what I did. The whole crowd erupted… It was like a giant hug,” she stated.
Reflecting on when she saw Chanan for the first time after her surgery, Jessie recalled bursting into tears as she was ‘so happy to be alive’.
Emphasising the help her mum provided, she added: “Mum was massaging my boob for me, because I can’t touch the scars.
“I started sobbing, ‘I can’t believe this has happened.’ She was like, ‘I wish it was me,’ and then I’m crying, she’s crying.”
Last weekend saw Jessie performing at Radio 2 in the Park, which was held in her home county of Essex. Appearing on Capital Xtra, she said: “I’m honestly good, guys. I feel like I’ve been through a lot healthwise in my life. This is one of the first things I’ve gone through publicly that other people have gone through. It’s been an opportunity to show people how I deal with things like this.”
She continued: “It’s a personal journey. Everyone’s body’s going to do it differently. Recovery’s been difficult, especially having Sky. His dad’s been away working and that’s been tough because I’m not supposed to pick him up.”
With her fifth album on the way, Jessie said that it’s been ‘a long time coming’ as it was originally due to come out in 2021.
“I got the final mix this morning, finally I can breathe. It feels like a journey of the last five years,” she noted.
