Television personality Kerri-Anne Kennerley says her involvement with Dancing With The Stars may have saved her life.
Kennerley discovered a small lump in her right breast when trying on a costume for a performance on the Channel Seven dancing show.
The 58-year-old TV veteran said she immediately got it checked out and was diagnosed with cancer soon after.
"The doctor told me if I hadn't lost eight kilograms on Dancing With The Stars (DWTS), and if I hadn't been fiddle-faddling with that beaded bra, I might not have realised there was anything wrong for months," she told New Idea in an article published on Monday.
"I guess you could say DWTS may have saved my life."
Kennerley will undergo further medical assessment to determine what treatment she will need.
However, radiotherapy and the loss of at least part of her breast are certainties, New Idea reported.
But the Gold Logie nominee said she has postponed surgery so she is able to appear on the final episode of DWTS.
Fellow DWTS performer and ex-AFL star Brendon Fevola told Channel Seven's Sunrise on Monday that he was saddened by the news but was confident she would make a full recovery.
"To hear that news about Kerri-Anne, it's upsetting," he said.
"She's a fighter and she'll get on top of this."
Kennerley has gone public with the news to try and encourage other women to have regular health checks.
"I didn't have any symptoms ... I didn't have any of the risk factors," she said.
"That's why, as boring and as tedious as mammograms and ultrasounds are, have them - and have them often."
In November last year Kennerley bid goodbye to Channel Nine after she was dumped from the network's morning show.
