Rita Ora shares mental health battles sparked by mother's cancer journey

Rita Ora has opened up about the mental health struggles she endured when her mother battled breast cancer. The 34-year-old singer was a teenager when her mother, Vera, was diagnosed with the disease in 2005.

Rita helped care for her mother, who underwent life saving surgery and battled through chemotherapy and radiation treatment. While the treatment was successful, Rita admits that watching her mother become so vulnerable during her health battle was difficult to watch.

While the exact cause of breast cancer is still not known, there are factors that medical experts have pinpointed as increasing the risks of contracting the disease. Genetic factors are among the considered factors, and tests can be carried out to check those concerned if they carry certain genes.

READ MORE: Rita Ora waited four years for husband Taika Waititi as she makes sweet admission

READ MORE: Jeff Bezos wedding: Ivanka Trump among ultra-wealthy A-Listers arriving for $48m celebration

Reflecting on her mother's battle, Rita explained that she developed a fear of carrying the breast cancer gene while also struggling to watch her mother fight the disease. Opening up on Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast, the chart-topping star explained her feelings.

She told the host: "It was tough. I was a teenager, I was 13. And so I was very confused. I wanted to be with her all the time, but she wanted me to go to school... it was a really hard time for them – my parents."

Explaining that she developed a sense of "hypochondria", the star said: "The ratings and the percentages of breast cancer ... that definitely got me worried."

Rita also explained that she carries PTSD from her mother's ordeal. She said: "I didn't realise, actually, that that was a thing until I started therapy.

"I was like, 'Oh, maybe I'm going to the doctors too many times.' But I do believe that that is the reason, because I saw that happen and that whole treatment process."

Discussing the indiscriminate effects of cancer, she added: "Cancer affects everyone. My mum battled it twice, and I had a lot of different emotions... I felt a lot of responsibility to step up and become a strong teenager. I wanted to protect my mother."

Rita has previously revealed that she underwent a test to see if she carries the BRCA gene associated with cancer risk and discovered she doesn't have it. She has also advocated regular check ups - with early detection seen as key to beating the disease.

Breast cancer is more likely to affect women over the age of 50, with higher levels of the hormones oestrogen, progesterone or testosterone, and smoking and drinking regarded as potential contributing factors to developing the disease.

Cancer Research UK notes that over 56,800 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year while the survival rate is at 75%.The charity also notes that 23% of cases are preventable.

In 2013, Hollywood actress Dame Angelina Jolie, 50, revealed she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy after discovering she carried the BRCA1 gene and after watching her own mother die of breast cancer. Sharing her news in an op-ed for The New York Times, the star wrote: "I hope that other women can benefit from my experience.

"Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action."

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and Threads