Elle Macpherson: her 'holistic' approach to cancer... and the truth

Elle Macpherson, once known as 'The Body', is one of the most important models in history and, as such, her recently published memoirs were eagerly awaited by many people.

The former model took advantage of her 60th birthday to launch 'Elle', her biography. In it, she revealed several unknown passages of her life. The one with the greatest impact was the fact that she was diagnosed with b r e a s t cancer in 2017.

Photo: Elle Macpherson / Instagram

In fact, more than the revelation of the disease, it was striking that Elle Macpherson declared she did not have a conventional treatment.

As she recounts in her memoir, she consulted 32 doctors and specialists for weeks. All of them advised her to undergo chemotherapy, but she was not convinced.

Elle Macpherson wanted to find a "solution that would work for me" and ultimately opted to skip chemotherapy, head to a beach in Miami, pray, meditate, and get on with her life. She was guided by a doctor specializing in "an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach."

As she explains it: "Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But saying no to my own inner sense would have been even harder."

While promoting her biography, Elle Macpherson gave an interview to 'Women's Weekly' where she revealed that she'd moved to Phoenix for eight months to treat her illness holistically, which included a team with her family doctor, a naturopathic doctor, a holistic dentist, an osteopath, a chiropractor, and two therapists.

Photo: Elle Macpherson / Instagram

In this same interview, the name of her compatriot, actress Olivia Newton-John, came up.

The 'Grease' star had said on 'Seven Night Sunday', back in 2018, that she was treating her breast cancer with "natural therapies and modern medicines and I'm doing very well." Eventually, she died in 2022 from the disease.

Elle Macpherson says she did speak to Olivia Newton-John before she passed away. "We did things differently, but we did share experiences with each other and how we feel and how we approach things."

The model says her illness is now in "clinical remission, but I would say I’m in utter wellness..." As she further explains: "It’s not only what your blood tests say, it's how and why you are living your life on all levels."

However, in all the commotion about her controversial decision, one important part of Elle Macpherson's trajectory has been overlooked. The Guardian was among the critical media pointing this out. Before refusing to get chemotherapy, Elle Macpherson did actually have a lumpectomy: a medical procedure in which the malign lump was removed from her chest.

So while she may have decided not to get chemotherapy after the removal of the malign tissue, she did, in fact, have a conventional surgery to start with, The Guardian emphasizes.

The Guardian cites several medical experts who say that the Women's Weekly interview and many other reports misrepresent the model's choice of treatment by failing to mention the lumpectomy. It was, in fact, that conventional treatment that went a long way in treating the cancer, they say.

In addition, both the American Cancer Society and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have published studies confirming that chemotherapy significantly increases the long-term survival of women affected by this disease.

In fact, these specialized institutions point out the serious consequences that can result from not receiving any conventional treatment - or leaving that treatment halfway, as was the case for Elle Macpherson.