Erin Andrews, FOX sideline reporter and Dancing With the Stars co-host, just revealed to MMQB.com that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in September.
This comes as news to most, as Andrews didn’t miss a game, even taking a red-eye flight just two days after surgery to do a feature and report from the sideline. She vowed not to watch any games from home, especially considering that this year FOX is covering the Super Bowl.
“Should I have been standing for a full game five days after surgery? Let’s just say the doctor didn’t recommend that,” Andrews told MMQB. “But just as I felt during my trial, sports were my escape. I needed to be with my crew.”
The trial she’s referring to followed a horrifying cyberstalking incident where a man videotaped Andrews nude through the peephole at two different hotels, later leaking nude footage of her online. The footage leaked in 2009, but Andrews didn’t settle until this past March.
At first, Andrews kept her diagnosis a secret from everyone but her family. She finally had to tell her colleagues, and her crew supported her throughout her struggle. After another procedure, she was given the all clear on Nov. 17.
“After the trial, everyone kept telling me, ‘You’re so strong, for going through all of this, for holding down a job in football, for being the only woman on the crew,’” Andrews said. “Finally I got to the point where I believed it too. ‘Hey, I have cancer, but dammit, I am strong, and I can do this.’”
