“The Strongest Fight of Her Life”: Katie Thurston CONFESSES Plans for Double Mastectomy While Facing Stage IV Cancer, Breaking Down Over the Brutal Reality and Her Refusal to Give Up

Katie Thurston gave a health update amid her ongoing stage IV breast cancer battle.

“I wanted to give an update on my latest chapter as someone experiencing [and] navigating stage IV breast cancer. The thing that people don’t realize with stage IV is I will be on medication for the rest of life,” the former Bachelorette, 34, said in a Friday, September 19, Instagram video. “It’s kind of like a maintenance plan, which is great but also can be scary.”

Thurston added that as she continues to treat her cancer, there is the possibility that her “medication stops working.” If that happens, she and her doctor review her options for the next best solution.

Every month, Thurston gets her labs checked. A recent batch was “a little concerning,” to her and the medical staff. Her doctor ended up “decreasing” the amount of pills she takes to “two pills” a day, rather than her typical three. Thurston shared that the switch has helped her.

“That has worked for my liver enzymes, meaning I don’t need to pause my treatment, I can continue my treatment,” she explained. “The bigger test on if this is working still, is next month i will get rescanned to see how much the tumor has shrunk.”

Thurston shared that the cancer that had spread to her liver has “disappeared on its own” and is no longer showing up on her scans.

As Thurston prepares for the next phase of her treatment, she’s remaining optimistic that she’ll have “no evidence of disease” in her scan schedule for “next month.” If the scan comes back with positive news, she’ll be able to undergo a double mastectomy

“In November, I have scheduled my double mastectomy,” she said, noting that it is “like a whole other chapter” that she does not “know enough yet”

“Things are working so far and we’re adjusting,” she said.

Earlier this year, Thurston revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a “small lump” that “never went away.”

“My first lump [which was a benign cyst] felt like a pea or marble [and] hard, unnatural, but didn’t cause me discomfort. The second felt larger,” she recalled in February 2025. “The pain initially came and went, but maybe after 3-4 months of it not going away or improving, I got nervous and saw my doctor.”

One month later, Thurston’s doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to her liver, making her diagnosis stage IV.

“THE $5M AUTONOMY STRIKE”: Robert Irwin’s COLOSSAL DWTS check CONFIRMS he has ZERO RELIANCE on the Zoo’s past struggles, DECLARING his own $5 MILLION FORTUNE is the ultimate testament to his INDIVIDUAL POWER and successful break from the debt

While he might have grown up in the spotlight, 2025 is well and truly the year of Robert Irwin dominating the headlines. After breaking the internet in April with his Bonds underwear campaign, the 21-year-old has since taken the world by storm with his performances on Dancing With The Stars.

The Wildlife Warrior has also landed a role in Disney’s upcoming film Zootopia 2, and next month, he will fly to South Africa to start filming next year’s season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!. With all of these projects under his belt, in addition to his regular job running Australia Zoo, many fans have questioned what Robert Irwin’s net worth is.

What is Robert Irwin’s net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the wildlife conservationist is estimated to be worth US$5 million (AUD$7.7 million).

His late father, Steve Irwin, had a reported net worth of US$10 million (AUD$15.5 million) before his tragic death in 2006, while his mum, Terri, is worth $20 million (AUD$31 million), and his sister, Bindi, is also worth $5 million (AUD$7.7 million).

Robert has reportedly been paid an eye-watering salary on Dancing With The Stars. Photo: Disney+

How much money was Robert Irwin paid on Dancing With The Stars?

While Robert’s official Dancing With The Stars salary hasn’t been publicly revealed, there have been several reports over the years about the average contestant’s salary.

It was first reported by Variety in 2019 that each celebrity competing on the reality show is paid a base salary of around US$125,000 ($AUD188,000) for the rehearsal period and the first two weeks on the show.

Contestants then receive additional weekly bonuses if they stay on the show, with multiple media outlets reporting that Robert could be paid a total of between US$295,000 (AUD$447,000) and US$400,000 (AUD$606,000) for making it to the finale.

It’s no wonder that Robert would sign up to the US version of Dancing With The Stars rather than the Australian series, as this year’s Aussie contestants were reportedly paid between AUD$27,000 and AUD$100,000 for the entire season.

How much money did Robert inherit from Steve Irwin?

Despite Steve’s impressive net worth, Terri, Bindi, and Robert were only left with a little over AUD$200,000 from his life insurance following his death.

Terri told the Australian Financial Review in July 2024 that the money went straight back into Australia Zoo.

“Everything was reinvested into conservation work,” she said.

“I was in debt … and Steve’s life insurance, I think, was the sum total of $200,000, which didn’t even cover half of one week’s payroll.”

However, she shared that she and Steve had established a 10-year business plan for Australia Zoo, and he had an “ironclad will” so there were no concerns that “some crazy person [would] sweep in from some distant family connection and try to take everything”.