Meg Mathews, 60, reveals she has secretly been battling breast cancer and why it was an 'easy decision' to have a double mastectomy

Meg Mathews has revealed she has been secretly battling breast cancer. The businesswoman, 60, who is the ex-wife of Noel Gallagher, has spoken for the first time about her health scare and why she decided to have a double mastectomy after being diagnosed in November 2024. Meg revealed a routine mammogram found three 'pea-sized lumps' under her left breast and she was told she had HER2-negative breast cancer. The columnist revealed her shock at being told she had cancer because she 'felt great' and 'would never have known that I had any illness whatsoever', with the lumps being hard to find as they were at the back by her milk glands. In an interview, Meg reflected on the moment she was told of her diagnosis two years ago.She told The Sun: 'I didn’t feel scared when I got the diagnosis. I just thought: "I can’t break down and think: poor me". I’m strong, I’m going to get through it.’ 'I knew I had to stay positive because it could have gone the other way and I could have relapsed.' Meg Mathews has revealed she has been secretly battling breast cancerMeg quit drinking in 2017 after her 51st birthday. She had battled alcohol and substance dependency stemming from her early teens and peaking during the 1990s Britpop era. She added she never 'thought it was because of my ‘colourful’ lifestyle in the ’90s – I’ve never heard of cocaine or ecstasy causing cancer'.Within days, doctors were talking about Meg starting chemotherapy or radiotherapy but she didn't feel it was the journey she wanted to take. She told her daughter Anais, 26, who put on a brave face but Meg was worried about how the news would affect her. Meg opted for a double mastectomy in March 2025 and had her lymph nodes removed. She didn't have a reconstruction at the time. Eleven days after the surgery, a pathologist said she was cancer free and so she didn't have to have chemotherapy. She said she didn't struggle with losing her breasts and found the decision to have a double mastectomy was 'easy' .Meg said: 'I have had so many boob jobs, they didn’t feel like mine any more anyway. I’ve had five or six since the age of 30. Noel gave me a boob job for my 30th birthday. No one ever knew that. He will be dying I’ve said that, but it was a great gift and he was happy about it, too.' She said she didn't struggle with losing her breasts and found the decision to have a double mastectomy was 'easy' as she had so many boob jobs in the past (pictured with Noel in 2000) She told her daughter Anais, 26, who put on a brave face but Meg was worried about how the news would affect her Meg said she had her implants removed when she was 50 due to a high chance of them rupturing and they had a lot of scar tissue and felt numb. She added the health scare has given her a new outlook on life as she said she feels she has had a second chance because of the colourful life she led in the nineties. The businesswoman added she is planning on having reconstruction surgery. Oasis rocker Noel, 59, and Meg , were one of the most famous couples in the 1990s during the Britpop era, known for their party lifestyle. Their Las Vegas wedding in 1997, complete with an Elvis impersonator, ended in divorce less than four years later – an acrimonious split, which has been described as one of the nastiest in recent celebrity history. Back in May, Meg and Anais reflected on how her lifestyle couldn't be more different. At the age Anais is now, Meg was partying 'six days a week, living in squats, hanging out with roadies and going on tour with different bands'.But her daughter has swapped nights out for a book club and is living a 'normal life in a not-very-glamorous flat' – but the rent is paid by her millionaire father. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?What is breast cancer?It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called 'invasive'. Some people are diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ', where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.What causes breast cancer?A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply 'out of control'.Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.What are the symptoms of breast cancer?The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign. The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.How is breast cancer diagnosed?Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.How is breast cancer treated?Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the 'female' hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.How successful is treatment?The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000Meg told The Sunday Times: 'Anais could so easily have been a spoilt b**t but she has worked hard to find her own place in the world. She has been in therapy since she was 13 and I think that was the best thing that me and her dad could have done for her.'She got into Camberwell College of Arts to study photography. She’s an influencer - I don’t understand what she actually does, but she’s completely independent. She lives a normal life in a not-very-glamorous place next to a railway track. 'Her dad pays her rent but she doesn’t get an allowance from either of us. She’s very bright and articulate. She goes to the theatre at least once a week, she has her book club and she’s never out of art galleries. She has the best people skills. I find her lifestyle and her enthusiasm very inspiring.' Anais was sent to Bedales boarding school aged ten. The model recalled how she would find it 'frustrating' her parents couldn't help with difficult essays or didn't know what Ucas points were. She said she rebelled against her 'crazy' mother and father by becoming 'conservative'. Growing up, Anais said how her friends often wanted to stay at hers due to her mum's relaxed attitude on parenting. The influencer said her mother would say: 'What do you mean you don’t want to go to a party?' before being 'forced out the door'. The model added she had heard the stories of her party-loving mum and dad in the nineties but 'can't equate my parents with them', as her father was always 'a great girl-dad'. Anais said during her mother's menopause, their relationship became strained but now they help each other out. The influencer also said her parents 'don’t understand that posting on social media can be a job'. However, Anais did acknowledge how being a Gallagher has opened many doors in her life, as she commented: 'Nine times out of ten I’ll walk into a film or fashion event and someone there will have known me since I was a kid. And that, I suppose, is the absolute hallmark of nepotism.' Anais's parents have now made amends with the Daily Mail's Katie Hind revealing last July that she was Noel's rock once again following his £20million divorce from his second wife, Sara MacDonald, and helped him navigate the Oasis reunion with Liam.