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Grace Helbig: YouTube star reveals breast cancer diagnosis

Getty Images Grace HelbigGetty Images
Grace Helbig is known for her comedic vlogs and viral challenges.

Grace Helbig, the popular US YouTuber and presenter, has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

In a video, the 37-year-old said she received her "shocking" and "surreal" diagnosis about a month ago, having hesitantly spoken to her doctor after noticing a small lump.

But, she noted, it was "super treatable and highly beatable".

She vowed to "take on" the disease, while urging other women to check any possible symptoms.

"Get those lumps checked," she told her followers. "And don't be afraid to ask the doctor what you think might be a stupid question."

Graphic showing how to check your breasts for cancer

The internet personality, who shot to fame in the early days of YouTube and has more than two million subscribers, is known for her comedic vlogs and viral challenges.

She said she had been unsure about how to bring up her concerns with her gynaecologist because she was afraid of looking like "a stupid little girl that didn't know how girl bodies worked".

"Thank God I listened to that little voice inside of me that finally got the courage to bring it up to her because she also thought it was abnormal," she continued, explaining she had been diagnosed with "triple positive" cancer.

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What is triple positive breast cancer?

By Michelle Roberts, BBC News digital health editor

Some breast cancers are encouraged to grow by hormones, such as oestrogen, that are found naturally in the body. They are known as hormone receptor-positive cancers.

Triple positive breast cancer means the tumour has receptors for oestrogen, progesterone and a protein called HER2.

These cancers are much more likely to respond to drug treatments that target these hormones to help stop the cancer cells dividing and growing.

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Helbig created the podcast This Might Get Weird alongside Mamrie Hart, before going on to host her own comedy talk show, The Grace Helbig Show, on the E! Network from 2015.

Since 2021 she has been the voice of Cindy Bear in HBO cartoon Jellystone!

She said her treatment plan now includes six rounds of chemotherapy, followed by hormonal therapy.

"We're going for cure not remission here," she added. "Which is exciting, encouraging, helpful, good."

Details of organisations that can provide information and support about cancer can be found on the BBC Action Line website.