Harry Connick Jr's wife Jill Goodacre, 54, shows off slimmer figure at Met Gala... after gaining weight from five-year breast cancer battle

  • Six years ago she was told she had Stage 1 breast cancer after a biopsy
  • The supermodel then had to have back-to-back surgeries and radiation
  • Now the 54-year-old star has been on the drug Tamoxifen for years
  • Goodacre said that gaining weight from the drug has hurt her self esteem 

Harry Connick Jr's wife Jill Goodacre battled breast cancer for five years.

The former Victoria's Secret model made the reveal in People magazine in 2017 where she said a lump was spotted during a sonogram causing her to have two back-to-back surgeries. Later the drug Tamoxifen made her gain weight.

But on Monday night at the Met Gala in NYC, the siren looked incredible as she wore a black dress.

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Back on top: Harry Connick Jr and wife Jill Goodacre dazzled in black on the gold carpet at the Met Gala on Monday in NYC

Back on top: Harry Connick Jr and wife Jill Goodacre dazzled in black on the gold carpet at the Met Gala on Monday in NYC

Better now: The former Victoria's Secret model made the reveal in People magazine in 2017 where she said a lump was spotted during a sonogram causing her to have two back-to-back surgeries. Later the drug Tamoxifen made her gain weight.

Better now: The former Victoria's Secret model made the reveal in People magazine in 2017 where she said a lump was spotted during a sonogram causing her to have two back-to-back surgeries. Later the drug Tamoxifen made her gain weight.

The stunner showed off a trim waistline and toned arms as she took her photos on the gold carpet. The beauty modeled a black gown that seemed to have a spiderweb design with a mermaid finish.

Her hair was partly pulled back and she had on pretty makeup with diamond earrings and a black clutch purse.  

Her talk show-host husband struggled with the cancer news, he told People last year: 'I was scared I was going to lose her, absolutely. I wasn’t going to let her see that, but I was.'

One of the hardest thing for the mother-of-three to cope with has been the weight from the Tamoxifen drug she's had to take.

A 10: The stunner showed off a trim waistline and toned arms as she took her photos on the gold carpet. The beauty modeled a black gown that seemed to have a spiderweb design with a mermaid finish

A 10: The stunner showed off a trim waistline and toned arms as she took her photos on the gold carpet. The beauty modeled a black gown that seemed to have a spiderweb design with a mermaid finish

He loves her: Her hair was partly pulled back and she had on pretty makeup with diamond earrings and a black clutch purse

He loves her: Her hair was partly pulled back and she had on pretty makeup with diamond earrings and a black clutch purse

Early days: The couple in 1991 in LA

Early days: The couple in 1991 in LA

'I've always been a pretty fit person, and so to be just rounder and heavier and not to really be able to do much about it — that’s been hard. It’s taken a lot out of my self-confidence,' said Jill. 

In October 2012 Goodacre had a routine annual mammogram. The results were fine.  But then she was told to get a sonogram as well because she had 'dense breasts.'

During the sonogram 'something was detected' and Jill was asked to undergo a biopsy.

The results were hard to hear: the bikini model had Stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma.

'I was scared I was going to lose her, absolutely. I wasn’t going to let her see that, but I was. I know from losing my mom that the worst can happen. She’s my best friend, and I really don’t know what I would do without her,' said the crooner.

Harry lost his mother to ovarian cancer when he was only 13-years-old.

Telling their kids was hard. Together the couple has Georgia, 21, Sara Kate, 20, and Charlotte, 15. 'It broke my heart,' said Jill. 

She was #1: The star was a top lingerie model for Victoria's Secret

She was #1: The star was a top lingerie model for Victoria's Secret

Hot stuff: Jill often landed magazine covers, like this one, the November 1988 issue of Cosmopolitan

Hot stuff: Jill often landed magazine covers, like this one, the November 1988 issue of Cosmopolitan

She immediately needed a lumpectomy. Radiation would come next, though she was able to skip chemotherapy.

'The lumpectomy didn’t come back with clean margins,' she said. The site explained that pathology tests showed she also had 'extensive ductal carcinoma in situ, a less invasive form of the disease.'

She had to go in for a second surgery the very next day. 

Family: Together the couple has Georgia, 21, Sara Kate, 20, and Charlotte, 15. Here they are seen with two of their daughters in April 2018

Family: Together the couple has Georgia, 21, Sara Kate, 20, and Charlotte, 15. Here they are seen with two of their daughters in April 2018

SIDE EFFECTS OF TAMOXIFEN 

Tamoxifen, the generic name of Nolvadex, is the oldest and most-prescribed pill for women to prevent the recurrence of tumors in the breast.

The biggest benefits of the medication are reducing the risk of breast cancer of returning by 50 percent and reducing the risk of new cancer developing.

However, its side effects are notoriously taxing on patients.

DOES IT CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN?

There is conflicting evidence on whether Tamoxifen causes weight gain, or other breast cancer-related factors. 

While many women have reported weight gain on the drug, no studies have conclusively shown a direct causal relationship.

THE BIGGEST SIDE EFFECT: 'CHEMO BRAIN'

'Chemo brain' is a colloquial term for the mental fogginess and memory loss triggered by Tamoxifen.

OTHER SIDE EFFECTS 

  • abnormal vaginal bleeding
  • discharge pain
  • chest pain
  • shortness of breath
  • difficulty speaking or understanding
  • vision problems
  • increased tumor or bone pain
  • hot flashes 
  • depression
  • anxiety
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'And then radiation absolutely wiped me out,' added Jill.

But the worst part has been taking Tamoxifen or five years.

Harry said it's been hard for her to look fuller. 

'It’s a part of how the cancer and the treatment impacted her, and it was a real issue, even though she will always be the most beautiful woman in the world,' said her husband. 

They waited so long to tell the world because they didn't want to 'somehow jinx it,' she told People.

'But we wanted to be well on the other side of things before we told everybody. The doctors all say that after the five-year mark, things look optimistic, so we’re starting to feel pretty good,' she added.

'I’ll always be a little nervous, always having to get checked, always hoping it doesn’t come back.'

Jill talked on her husband's talk show Harry about her cancer diagnosis.

On the show, which People got an exclusive look at, Harry tells his wife: 'All I wanted to do was grow old with you and have as many years as possible as I could with you.'

Jill responds with: 'You always used to say that: "I just want to grow old with you."'

'It’s true. I wanted to know what you would look like older. … I made the right decision,' he added. 

Texas native Jill married Harry in 1994 when they were both at the top of their careers. 

She was a model who worked for Victoria's Secret and appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan. And she appeared as herself on Friends in a 1994 episode titled The One With The Blackout.

Harry has sold over 28 million records and appeared in movies such as Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock.

Connick Jr was a judge on American Idol with Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban. Now he has his own talk show called Harry. 

Queens of the night: Also at the Met Gala were Kim Kardashian, center, Bella Hadid, left, and Kendall Jenner, right

Queens of the night: Also at the Met Gala were Kim Kardashian, center, Bella Hadid, left, and Kendall Jenner, right

 

 

 

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