Former Bachelorette Katie Thurston: 'I Have Breast Cancer'

Katie Thurston, a former star of "The Bachelorette," told her fans on Saturday that she has cancer — and that she's ready to fight it.

In an Instagram post decorated with two upbeat selfies, Thurston, 34, announced, "Life update: I have breast cancer."

Referencing her stand-up comic fiancé Jeff Arcuri, she went on, "Yesterday I saw all the couples post their Valentines Day celebrations. I felt envious if I’m being honest. Jeff took me to Hawaii and after, we were going to travel the world before planting roots together in NYC finally. But instead, my Vday was spent coordinating a place to live as I have to go back to LA for more testing and treatment. I used my morning to figure out insurance for NYC and laws on preexisting conditions. I scheduled appointments for another biopsy, fertility, mental health, surgery, as well as meeting with my team to discuss the overall treatment plan, which will include chemo."

Delving into her mental state, Katie shared, "I experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks. Despair. Anger. Sadness. Denial. And then strength. Purposeful. Ready. I cried a lot. I tried to even make a video instead of this post and couldn’t."

"But one thing I did early on was search other stories like mine. Other young women with breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma. Mastectomy. Pregnancy after breast cancer. All of their stories helped. So I intend to be the same for others. This is day one of sharing and is going to be a long one. This first step of acceptance of my reality was the hardest."

Boldly, and inspiringly, she declared, "But I am ready to fight this."

Katie closed with praise for her fiancé, writing, "I don’t know how I’d do this without you. The selfless love that you smother me in is beyond anything I imagined I’d be blessed with. I love you to the fullest in this lifetime and the next. 🤍"

Her comments section was immediately flooded with words of love and support, including from Bachelor Nation names Jade Roper, Jasmine Goode and Justin Glaze.

Katie was on "The Bachelor" in 2020, then was named Bachelorette in 2022. When the show ended, she was set to wed Blake Moynes, but they split and she dated John Hershey.

Arcuri popped the question last year.