Bestselling author Colleen Hoover has revealed she’s undergoing cancer treatment, sharing candid updates with fans about her diagnosis and the lifestyle changes she’s reluctantly embracing as a result.
The 46-year-old Texas novelist, known for emotional blockbusters like “It Ends With Us” and “Verity,” disclosed her health battle on social media while approaching the end of her radiation treatment. “Second to last day of radiation. I wish I could blame my hair and facial expression on Texas Oncology, but they’ve been great,” Hoover wrote in her characteristically forthright style. “Hope you never need them, but highly recommend them.”
While Hoover hasn’t specified the type of cancer she’s battling, she has been surprisingly open about what might have caused it. Recent genetic testing ruled out hereditary factors, which led doctors to point toward environmental and lifestyle causes.
Lifestyle Wake-Up Call
“I got results back today from the geneticist that say my cancer did not come from family genes. It also didn’t come from the two main causes of the cancer, which are HPV and excessive hormones,” Hoover explained in a video update to fans. “This means it was more than likely environmental/lifestyle, which is lack of exercise, poor diet and stress.”
The diagnosis has forced the author to confront some uncomfortable lifestyle changes. In a post that resonated with many followers, Hoover lamented her new health regimen with trademark humor: “I’m happy and grateful to be alive but I hate vegetables. I hate when I have to get off the couch. I hate sweating. I hate when science is right.”
Is she embracing these changes willingly? Not exactly. “If you see me at the gym, don’t even tell me good job. If you see me at a restaurant eating grilled chicken and drinking water, I’m probably real mad about it,” she shared with fans.
Hoover’s candor about her health journey comes during what would otherwise be a professional high point. Her novel “It Ends With Us” was recently adapted into a major motion picture starring Blake Lively, and she remains one of publishing’s most reliable bestsellers, with a particularly strong following on TikTok’s influential #BookTok community.
That said, her health revelations have struck a chord with readers who appreciate her willingness to document not just the diagnosis, but the grudging lifestyle overhaul that’s come with it — vegetables, exercise and all.
