Canadian figure skater Piper Gilles has revealed that she received treatment for stage 1 ovarian cancer.
The 31-year-old athlete made the announcement in a video posted on his Instagram account on Sunday.
At the beginning of the year, Gilles told the media that he had undergone an appendectomy. In her recent explanations, she indicated that this surgery was part of a larger operation to remove her left ovary.
“When I was operated on, it was really to remove my appendix as a preventive measure, since we did not know at the time the nature of the tumor which was on my left ovary, she said. I want you to know that I wasn’t trying to lie to you. Our team basically wanted to protect Paul and me.
This is his partner, Paul Poirier. The pair of figure skaters represented Canada together at the Beijing Olympics in 2022.
This year, Gilles and Poirier amassed three World Cup medals. They also won bronze in ice dancing at the World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan at the end of March.
“I know it’s only bronze. However, for me, and I know it’s also the case for Paul, to be there and to be able to skate is more like a victory because of all the obstacles we had to overcome,” said Gilles.
The Maple Leaf representative also explained that she needed time to process the news of her cancer, especially after her mother died of the disease herself.