Agence France Presse

Melbourne:

Australian pop superstar Kylie Minogue has undergone successful surgery to remove a breast cancer and is expected to fully recover from the disease, her surgeon said on Saturday. The surgeon, Jenny Senior, said Minogue underwent surgery Friday evening in Melbourne’s St Frances Xavier Cabrini Hospital and was in high spirits. “I’m very pleased to be able to confirm that the operation was successful,” she said in a statement to reporters outside the hospital. “I feel confident that we caught the cancer in time and that she is now on the road to complete recovery,” she said. “Kylie is currently resting after the operation and her spirits are high and she is feeling fine.” Senior refused to take questions or say where Minogue, 36, was recovering from the medical procedure, which she described as “best practice around the world for a girl with an early breast cancer”.

“Kylie has been the perfect patient and has charmed all my staff. I just wish I could have met her under happier circumstances,” she said. “Kylie has asked me to pass on her thanks once again to all who have expressed their love and concern for her. Your support has certainly helped her through a tough time.” Minogue was surrounded by family and friends, including her boyfriend, French actor Olivier Martinez, and her sister Dannii, also a singer. The London-based Minogue, Australia’s biggest pop star who has sold an estimated 40 million records worldwide, was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at the start of the week after arriving home to begin the Australasian leg of a world tour. Since the diagnosis was announced Tuesday, Minogue and her family have been the focus of intense press scrutiny that has drawn criticism from officials and media personalities.

Sky Television news reported Saturday that a group of up to 14 youths wearing balaclavas and scarves attacked reporters, photographers and cameramen stationed outside the Minogue home in a Melbourne suburb. The ice and eggs damaged some camera equipment but no one was injured and no arrests made, Sky said. The diminutive diva first found fame in the 1980s in the Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours’ before beginning a pop career and subsequently launching her own underwear line. Doctor Senior would not comment on how long Minogue’s recovery would take. She thanked the medical specialists involved in her operation. “I would also like to thank Kylie, her family, and Olivier for making my job very easy. They were so welcoming,” she said.