Originally published on 1/13/26

Bestselling author Colleen Hoover, whose newest novel Woman Down releases today, revealed in a series of social media posts that she is undergoing radiation treatment for cancer. This news comes just months after the 46-year-old author returned to the public eye following the It Ends With Us movie controversy, and the diagnosis is something she hopes her fans “never” have to go through. To learn more about Hoover’s cancer journey, keep scrolling. 

What Colleen Hoover has said about her cancer diagnosis

On January 12, Hoover posted an Instagram story of herself in a hospital gown. She captioned it “Second to last day of radiation! I wish I could blame my hair and facial expressions on @texas.oncology but they’ve been great. Hope you never need them, but highly recommend them,” which seemed to confirm that she has cancer. 

While the author hasn’t specified what type of cancer she has, just a day prior, Hoover took to Facebook to reveal that the cancer hadn’t come from “family genes.” (Learn more about cancer risk factors and warning signs at the Woman’s World cancer hub.)

“It also didn’t come from the two main causes of the cancer, which are HPV and excessive hormones. This means it was more than likely environmental/lifestyle, which is lack of exercise, poor diet and stress,” the Verity author continued. “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. 

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.”

In October 2025, Hoover shared on Instagram that she had to miss the movie premiere of Regretting You due to “unavoidable surgery” that left her unable to travel for a period. It’s unclear if the surgery was related to her cancer diagnosis. 

Fans are showing their support for Hoover 

Following her cancer announcement, fans flooded to the author’s comment section to show their support for Hoover. Some even went as far as to share their own cancer journeys, with one Facebook user writing “This is how my husband and I feel right now. I don’t even know how to cook in my own kitchen right now. His brain cancer diagnosis has changed everything! On the plus side, you’re gonna make cancer your b-tch.” 

As of publication, Hoover has not shared how long she has been battling cancer. She also hasn’t shared if she believes her diagnosis will affect her writing career going forward. 

Hoover is celebrating a new novel amid her cancer journey

While undergoing radiation treatment, Hoover is also currently gearing up for the rest of the world to read her newest novel, Woman Down. It follows Petra Rose, a bestselling author whose latest film adaptation forced her into hiding. Seeing nowhere else to go, she begins to hide out at a secluded lakeside cabin where she meets Detective Nathaniel Saint, a handsome stranger who might just be her greatest inspiration yet. (Check out an exclusive excerpt.)

“I think people might expect this book to mirror my life more than it does,” Hoover told People magazine earlier this year. “But overall, there are very few similarities between my life and this book.”

“Every human experiences things in such unique ways, it’s hard for me to believe I’d have to experience something to know how a character would or wouldn’t react to it,” she continued. “If I’m inventing the character, I’m inventing their experience and history and memory as well, and coming up with all those parts of a character is what I find the most fun about writing. I definitely do not want to step into the shoes of my characters, considering they all experience a good deal of drama and/or trauma. I don’t want the firsthand knowledge if I can avoid it.”

Hoover’s latest film adaptation debuts in March

Hoover is also preparing for the theatrical release of her latest book-to-screen adaptation Reminders of Him, which premieres in March 2026. This will be her third adaption, following It Ends With Us and Regretting You, the latter of which was released in October of 2025. 

“I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with this one,” Hoover wrote on Instagram in April of 2025.

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/wellness/cancer/colleen-hoover-reveals-cancer-diagnosis-and-health-journey