Research shows that celebrities disclosing their health issues can prompt fans to get checked themselves.
When former Bachelorette star Katie Thurston felt a small lump in her breast, she thought it was nothing. It turned out to be breast cancer.
Now the 34-year-old, who appeared on Season 25 of “The Bachelor” before going on to lead her own season of “The Bachelorette,” is speaking out about her cancer and the fact that breast cancer cases are rising in young people.
Thurston’s documentation of her journey on social media may help reach people in a way other awareness campaigns may not and drive them to take action, Northeastern University health communications experts say.
“People tend to gravitate to celebrity messaging primarily because they might have already formed what we term parasocial relationships with the celebrities,” says Diane Francis, an associate communications studies professor with a joint appointment in public health at Northeastern University. “They might identify with celebrities. Someone who’s young, who’s active, who’s out there doing things that you might be familiar with, and that person gets breast cancer, that’s a wake-up call for many young people. That’s something that resonates in a way that the traditional (public health) campaign may not be able to.”
Viewers know Thurston from “The Bachelor” franchise. She appeared as a contestant on Matt James’ season of “The Bachelor” in 2021 before going on to lead her own season of “The Bachelorette” later that year.
Thurston’s diagnosis in her 30s makes her part of a growing trend of younger people being diagnosed with cancer, with more cases of breast, cervical, endometrial and colorectal cancers cropping up in younger adults.
Thurston said she got her diagnosis after finding a painful lump in her breast. She thought it was from exercise or a benign cyst, something she had had before, especially given her age. She said she was not expecting a cancer diagnosis.
But her speaking out can prompt others to take action. Research has long supported the idea of the “celebrity effect,” says Susan Mello, an associate professor of communications studies and health communications expert at Northeastern University. This dates to the ’90s, when a study found that Nancy Reagan’s disclosure about a mammogram leading to a breast cancer diagnosis while she was serving as first lady led to a short-term increase in more women getting the screening.
Since then, research has backed the idea that public figures speaking out about their diagnoses can prompt others to get checked, at least in the short term after the disclosure, Mello said.
Francis, who has studied the impact of celebrity health announcements herself, says it also might help shift young people’s mentality around cancer, making them realize it could happen to them now and have them on the lookout for symptoms and signs.
“It’s something that you think (could be) 20-30 years out,” Francis says. “All of a sudden, someone who’s 34 gets breast cancer and you realize you know you are five, 10 years away from that age. And that could happen to you as well. … A traditional (public health) campaign may try to get at that message and may not break through. For a celebrity, especially a young celebrity getting breast cancer, it’s an indicator anyone can get breast cancer regardless of age and status. That’s a message that resonates with young people.”
Francis says research has shown that celebrities sharing their health struggles not only prompts people to seek information but inspires conversation, as was the case when Angelina Jolie shared her story of getting a mastectomy after she found out she had the BRCA gene.
“In Angelina Jolie’s case, there was one story in The New York Times, but that story fed into other stories,” Francis says. “In the case of Katie Thurston, she’s sharing her updates daily, but her stories are also being picked up by media outlets. In both cases, they can significantly increase awareness among the public.”
Thurston has been talking about her diagnosis publicly on Instagram and started a broadcast channel where users can get photos and messages about her journey. There, Thurston has provided regular updates on her life with cancer, from the process of freezing embryos with her husband before she started treatment to her finding out her cancer had spread to her liver.
This method of communication is not only likely to reach users who could potentially be affected by cancer but also creates a message that resonates through visuals and personal story, says Elizabeth Glowacki, an assistant teaching professor in communication studies and health sciences at Northeastern University.
“There’s some part of us that’s really driven to listen to and to be motivated to take action because of stories,” says Glowacki. “Anecdotal experience is really important. People are looking for examples in their own lives because that makes sense to them. It’s concrete where sometimes numbers and larger trends and patterns and data can be a bit elusive.”
By sharing her story, Thurston might inspire fans to check for symptoms or talk to their doctor about screenings, says Ashleigh Shields, an assistant teaching professor in health sciences and communication studies at Northeastern University.
“Even if doctors aren’t going to recommend (screenings), it’s going to have a lot of patients feeling empowered to ask,” she says.