’80s singer Lisa Lisa reveals she had to keep her cancer diagnosis a secret: ‘My mum didn’t even know’

’80s icon Lisa Lisa has confessed that she kept her breast cancer diagnosis a secret at age 21 because she was on tour. 

During an episode of The Tamron Hall Show, the singer discussed her cancer, revealing she didn’t even tell her mother about her health scare. 

“It was hard to talk about back then,” the now 57-year-old said.

READ MORE: Hailey Bieber shares bump update after pregnancy reveal

80's singer Lisa Lisa (Lisa Velez)

“It was hard; there was no one to speak on it…The guys used to ask me, ‘Are you gaining weight? Are you pregnant?’ I was like, ‘No, I’m going through chemo.’ No one knew; I had to hide it basically; my mum didn’t even know.” 

“I was just checking myself out one day, and I was like ‘, Wow, what are these bruises?’ And I said I have to go get checked,” she added. “So, on a stop during a nine-month tour, I went and got checked, and my oncologist said you have ductal carcinoma.” 

READ MORE: Sophie Turner opens up about aftermath of Joe Jonas split

Lisa Lisa said that despite her cancer diagnosis, she made the difficult decision to undergo chemotherapy whilst maintaining her career. 

“It was difficult,” she said. “It was really, really hard. I didn’t know what to do or who to speak to. My doctor was like, ‘You should not be on tour,’ and I said, ‘I have to work because I have bills to pay.'”

80's singer Lisa Lisa (Lisa Velez)

The singer also told The New York Post that she felt the need to hide her cancer whilst working and on tour.

“My health is A-OK. Twenty-nine years now, I’m clean. I was 21 when I was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma. I hid it for a very long time. They removed the tumours, and I had reconstructive surgery.”

READ MORE: Actress has been hiding her hearing aids for over 10 years

“I had 16 weeks of chemo. It was pretty hard. I was always sick; I lost my hair. It was about trying to hide all of that. I didn’t tell anybody on the road. I would go onstage with the [chemo] pack, and I hid it under my clothes. But I caught it early, and I was OK.”

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.