Fashion designer Camilla Franks has revealed that she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer, just months after giving birth to her first child.
Taking to Instagram, the 42-year-old designer announced that she’s stepping away from her brand Camilla while she seeks treatment.
“This year, 18,000 women in this backyard of ours will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Today, I am one of them,” she wrote.
“Like anyone who has felt the unrelenting terror of being diagnosed, cancer was certainly never part of my plan. It’s something that JP [a.k.a. her fiancé, artist and musician JP Jones] and I have spent the last few days trying to process and confront. Like all life’s adversities, we are choosing to unite and face this one with acceptance, endurance and love. This is the only way – and I have the best kind of love by my side.”
Franks and Jones welcomed their first child together, Luna Gypsy, a few months ago. “It is her joy and warmth that remind me that this is a journey I will embark on with courage – for her and for us,” she wrote.
“The world of Camilla will continue to shine brightly, and while I won’t be stepping away completely, I know my tribe will continue to dance and bloom in my short absence. While I know I have your love and support, I also kindly request personal privacy whilst I enter the battlefield. This by no means is an easy chapter, but one I hope to share with you all once I am back on track.”
In an announcement to her team of 250 staff, Franks said that she was under the care of “one of Australia’s leading oncologists”.
“I start on this journey humble but resilient; I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared but I am fearlessly determined to do whatever it takes by focusing on my body, mind and spirit as I take my first trusting steps towards recovery,” she said.
Franks previously overcame a battle with Bell’s Palsy in 2013, and had recently returned from a trip around Australia with her husband and child to find inspiration for the upcoming range.
Camilla is due to close out Fashion Week Australia next Thursday. While the show is still absolutely going ahead, it’s unclear if Franks herself will attend.
“We have no doubt that Camilla will face the challenging weeks ahead with her usual determination and exceptional fighting spirit,” said Camilla CEO Jane McNally in a statement. “The love and support of her entire tribe is with her always.”
