Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles fought back the tears as she recounted her 'devastating' breast cancer battle and divorce on Thursday's episode of Loose Women - and admitted 'I only feel whole now I'm 71'.
Tina, who is mum to the If I Were A Boy singer, 43, and Solange Knowles, 38, was recently diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer after doctors discovered two tumors during a mammogram appointment.
Her recent diagnosis was touched upon after Charlene was keen to find out if she had a group of close pals that she could turn to in a time of need.
Tina said: 'Friendship with women is of the utmost importance to me, it’s one of my biggest priorities to stay connected because when I went through that, I depended on my daughters.
'I didn't tell everybody in my friends group. I didn't have to tell them what was going on.
Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles fights back tears recounting 'devastating' breast cancer battle and divorce on Loose Women - admitting 'I only feel whole now I'm 71'
She appeared on the ITV chat show to talk to Charlene White , 44, and Jane Moore , 62, about her new book Matriarch, which was released earlier this week
Tina pictured with her daughters Solange (left) and Beyonce (right) back in 2007
'I just went to Houston, gathered my girlfriends, we went to church, we went to lunch, we went parting at the club, dancing.'
As her emotions got the better of her and her eyes started to tell up, she continued: 'I just told them I don't want to talk about what's going on, but I need you right now.
'They were all right there with me.
'They've been a big part of my life, my whole life.'
Speaking about the support from her famous daughters, Tina added: 'With this one, they were the first people I told.
'They were the only people I told for a while and they rallied around me, they always have at those very difficult times.
'When I went through divorce, the first time I was devastated, and my girls were right there to lift me up and tell me that I can do things, and make me laugh because you know at those times, you need laughter too and they are my rock really.'
Tina shares her daughters with Mathew Knowles.
Tina pictured with her ex husband Matthew at the Nordoff-Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards at the Inter-Continental Hotel on June 18, 2004 in London
Tina and Richard Lawson at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March 2023
The pair tied the knot in 1980 but divorced in 2011.
She later married actor Richard Lawson in 2015, but filed for divorce in 2023.
Tina explained that she refuses to be bitter about anything in her life, and now more than ever is confident in her own skin.
'I don't feel any bitterness,' she told Charlene and Jane.
She added: 'I say in the book that it’s sad that I had to get to 70 to realise I'm whole by myself.
'I would love to have a relationship and be in love.
'If I don't get that, I will be just fine. I didn't know that before 70.'
Many rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their support.
One said: 'Tina Knowles verging on tears over her cancer diagnosis,' with a praying hands emoji.
While others mentioned that they thought Charlene should have done the chat solo.
'sorry but @CharleneWhite should of done the interview with #tinaknowles alone. Jane sucked the energy out of the room! #LooseWomen.'
'God you can tell Jane was disinterested in Tina Knowles and her frostiness was palpable. Also what was with Coleen and her catty comment. Clearly these women don't like to celebrate successful women from different backgrounds to them.'
Tina Knowles revealed her secret cancer battle in a candid on-camera interview earlier this week.
She said her daughters supported her through the horrific time by lifting her spirits at hospital appointments.
'I was nervous,' she told Gayle King on CBS Mornings. 'And so they started just joking with me.'
Knowles said Solange also played a viral video about the word 'demure' to cheer her up at one point.
'I start laughing. I get out of my head... Then I said, "I'm just so happy that y'all are here",' she said about the touching moment.
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV, ITVX, STV and STV Player
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called 'invasive'. Some people are diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ', where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply 'out of control'.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the 'female' hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000
