Tina Knowles, mother of Beyoncé and Solange, is opening up about her recent battle with breast cancer in a deeply personal interview with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King.
The 71-year-old said she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in her left breast after doctors discovered two tumors during a delayed mammogram appointment.
“I’ve always tried to take care of myself. I just … was in disbelief,” she told King.
The American Cancer Society recommends a mammogram every 1 to 2 years for women over 55. Knowles explained she missed her routine screening during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t reschedule until last year. Doctors then found two tumors. One was benign, and the other had Stage 1 cancer.
She was later informed that had she maintained her regular screenings, detection might have occurred at Stage 0, which according to the American Cancer Society is when the cancer has not spread beyond the breast tissue.
Despite the delay, the cancer had not spread and was considered slow-growing. Knowles underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumor from her left breast in August. Knowles is now cancer-free.
Beyoncé, Solange and some friends came to the hospital to support her ahead of her surgery.
“I was nervous,” Knowles said. “And so they started just joking with me.” She recalled a moment when Solange played a viral video about the word “demure” to lighten the mood.
“I start laughing. I get out of my head. … Then I said, ‘I’m just so happy that y’all are here.’ And I thought about the song ‘Walk With Me,’ which they used to sing all the time,” she said.
Solange, along with niece Angie Beyincé, sang the song to her before surgery.
“It’s about God walking with you into something and protecting you,” Knowles said through tears. “And I went in there feeling just like God has got me.”
Months later, Knowles said that she nearly missed Glamour’s 2024 Women of the Year event in October after developing a serious post-surgical infection.
Her family, especially Beyoncé, urged her to rest.
“Mama, you’re not yourself,” Knowles said Beyoncé told her. “And so she was like, ‘Your health is more important. Don’t go.'”
But the award held special significance for her especially after her recent battle. “A lot of my life, I just refused to be recognized. I would never take an award. I would never want the attention to me … and this was my saying, ‘I deserve this,'” she said.
In remarks at the event, Knowles spoke about her daughters always being by her side.
“That’s why when I said, you know, with them, I could get through anything, nobody knew what I was talking about,” she said.
More of “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King’s interview with Tina Knowles will air on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
