Katie Thurston, who became a fan favourite on season 17 of ‘The Bachelorette’, has revealed she is facing the biggest battle of her life—stage 4 breast cancer. The 33-year-old reality star first shared her diagnosis in February this year. She was told she had invasive ductal carcinoma, a common type of breast cancer. But what started as a stage 3 diagnosis quickly became more serious when doctors found signs of cancer on her liver, confirming it had progressed to stage 4.
‘Being alone is the hardest’
In a heartfelt preview of her upcoming interview on ‘Uncomfortable Conversations with Emmanuel Acho’, Katie got emotional while talking about the toughest part of her journey. “I think being alone is the hardest, if I had to pick something,” she told Acho. “And that’s why I’m so thankful just to have this online community.”
Her husband, comedian Jeff Arcuri, travels often for work, which means Katie sometimes has to go through treatment by herself. It’s a lonely and frightening experience, but she says the support she’s found online has made all the difference.
“I can’t imagine how people do this alone,” she added, holding back tears. “It’s one thing to hear support from you, and it’s so great and I am appreciative. But to hear from another cancer survivor like ‘I was on that exact regimen 15 years ago,’ that gives me the biggest hope at the end of the day.”

Choosing hope every day
When Emmanuel Acho asked her if hope was what she needed right now, Katie replied without hesitation: Yes. She explained how important it is to have something to look forward to and a reason to keep going. “Without hope,” she said, “that opportunity doesn’t exist.”
Katie believes that hope, love, and support give her strength each day as she faces both the physical and emotional challenges of her illness.

Changing the treatment plan
On 10 April, Katie shared an update with her followers on Instagram. She revealed that her treatment plan would no longer include chemotherapy. Instead of chemo, Katie has now started hormone-blocking therapy.
In the video, she explained that this plan was expected to give her the best chance of long-term control while avoiding many of the difficult side effects that come with chemotherapy. She also added that chemo could still be an option later if her cancer returns or stops responding to hormone therapy.