Sarah Ferguson Says Cancer Diagnosis Is 'Gift' That's Sparked Life 'Change'

Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has taken the news of her cancer diagnosis as a "gift" that will help her reach a healthier level of physical and mental fitness, the royal's podcast listeners have heard.

Fergie, who was married to Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1996 and who still lives with the royal on the Windsor Castle estate, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month and has undergone surgery to remove infected tissue, her spokesperson announced on Sunday.

"She was advised she needed to undergo surgery which has taken place successfully," her spokesperson said, per the BBC, after having attended a routine mammogram screening in London. "The duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family.

"The duchess wants to express her immense gratitude to all the medical staff who have supported her in recent days."

The royal discussed her diagnosis in a pre-recorded interview for her Tea Talks with Sarah and The Duchess podcast, co-hosted by friend Sarah Thomson, before the day of her surgery.

Released on Monday, the duchess explained that she would be undergoing a mastectomy, a surgery that removes some or all of the breast tissue.

"We're taping the podcast today because tomorrow I'm going in [to hospital] for a mastectomy," she said, going on to add: "But it's very important that I speak about it."

On why she had decided to go public with her diagnosis, Fergie stressed the importance of routine testing as she was asymptomatic. "I am telling people out there because I want every single person that is listening to this podcast to go and get checked," she said. "Go and get screened. Go and do it."

Though disclosing that there was still a small voice of doubt and apprehension about going for the surgery, the duchess said that she was taking the mental position that this was an opportunity to make life changes she wouldn't have done without it.

"I'm taking this as a real gift for me to change my life. To nurture myself. To stop trying to fix everyone else," she said. "I think: 'You're going to take yourself seriously now, Sarah.' I'm taking myself seriously. I'm going to understand it, get super fit, super strong, really understand what it was that really caused this one little shadow...look at it straight on."

Reflecting on her life experiences, which have been played out mainly in the public eye following her marriage, Fergie explained of her diagnosis: "If you tie it in with my journey, if you look at the journey of 'Sarah,' this Sarah, every single thing is another facet of forming my own character... my father used to say: 'Character building.'

She continued: "But for this one, it feels now as though it's allowing me to truly go into what I've always wanted which is to be super fit: Mind, body and soul."

After her divorce in 1996, Fergie went on a number of spiritual and fitness journeys, discussing her story with Oprah Winfrey, publishing a diet book and becoming a Weight Watchers spokesperson.

The duchess also faced a number of public scandals, including a media sting in which she was exposed for allegedly offering access to Prince Andrew in return for payment.

Today, the royal is an author and continues with her charitable work, which includes being an honorary patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Recently she was included among the members of the royal family invited to attend the coronation concert of her former brother-in-law, King Charles III, at Windsor Castle.

This month, the duchess became a grandmother for the third time. Her youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie, gave birth to a second son, named Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank.

Newsweek approached Buckingham Palace for comment.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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