Renowned Model Bianca Balti Reveals Cancer Diagnosis: ‘Fear, Pain and Tears’

Heavy/Getty Bianca Balti (R) and Natasha Poly (C) walk the runway at the Dolce & Gabbana Autumn/Winter 2012/2013 fashion show as part of Milan Womenswear Fashion Week on February 26, 2012 in Milan, Italy

Less than two years after internationally renowned model Bianca Balti underwent a preventative bilateral mastectomy due to genetic testing that revealed she was at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, she revealed on September 16, 2024, that she’d been diagnosed with another type of cancer.

Italian-born Balti, who’s known as one of the faces of Dolce & Gabbana, her “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit spreads, and for many magazine covers including Elle and Vogue, shared via social media that a week prior, she’d been hospitalized with pain that led to a diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

“Last Sunday, I checked myself into the ER to find out that my lower abdominal pain was stage 3C ovarian cancer,” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post featuring photos and videos of herself and loved ones in the hospital, trying their best to stay upbeat. “It’s been a week full of fear, pain and tears but mostly love, hope, laughter, and strength.”

A diagnosis of stage 3C has an average five-year survival rate of 41%, according to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, which says that 3C typically means the cancer is “in one or both ovaries or fallopian tubes, or is primary peritoneal cancer, and it has visibly spread to organs outside the pelvic region with deposits larger than 2cm.”

Bianca Balti Had Planned to Have Her Ovaries Removed After Testing Positive for the BRCA1 Gene

In Balti’s post, she said she has “a long journey ahead, but I know I will beat this. For myself, my loved ones (my daughters are at the top of the list), and all of you who need strength, you can borrow some of mine cause I have loads.”

According to People, Balti, 40, has two daughters; she shares Matilde with ex-husband Christian Lucidi, and has Mia with her husband Matthew McRae, whom she married in 2016.

In 2022, Balti tested positive for the BRCA1 gene, according to Vogue. That genetic abnormality increases a woman’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer “markedly,” according to the National Cancer Institute, which said more than 60% of women who test positive for the BRCA1 gene will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, and between 39% and 58% will develop ovarian cancer.

Knowing that one of her aunts had died from an aggressive form of breast cancer at 39, Balti decided to undergo a preventative double mastectomy in December 2022, she told the outlet, and said that she planned to remove her ovaries at a later date. But Balti is not letting her diagnosis get the best of her.

“Life happens; give it a reason,” she wrote in her post revealing her diagnosis. “So far, cancer has given me a chance to find beauty through life’s hurdles.”

Thousands of Fans & Friends Left Supportive Comments for Bianca Balti

Balti, who has 1.5 million Instagram followers, heard from more than 6,000 fans and friends within hours of her post, including from other famous models.

Gigi Hadid wrote, “Oh B❤️ sending you so much love and strength x”

Martha Hunt commented, “Sending you so much love and support❤️”

Giulia Salemi added, in a translated comment, “Bianca you are a force of nature, a warrior, a pure heart. We are all with you ❤️”

Lily Aldridge wrote, “Sending so much love and healing energy your way 🤍”

In 2022, Balti told Vogue that when she learned of her BRCA1 status, she worried about how surgery would impact her body as a model, but felt it was her only option — and her decision to be open about it.

“Obviously, how we look should be the last of our concerns,” she said. “Life should be our concern, but many women do care. My relationship didn’t change with my body throughout the process, which I think was actually a big win. I feel the same, comfortable. Except for that I have this knowledge, which is powerful.”

“Every time I speak publicly about what happened to me, people will reach out and tell me they did a mammogram or had their genes tested,” she continued. “So I know it actually makes a difference when you talk about it.”