The 'Dancing with the Stars' season 15 contestant says, 'We all commend her for being brave and going public with it and I know she's a fighter. She will pull through this.'
- Nov 10, 2012
AceShowbiz - Melissa Rycroft showed full support for Brooke Burke who's battling thyroid cancer and praised the "Dancing with the Stars" co-host's spirit in battling the disease. To PEOPLE, Melissa said, "You would never have known she was going through this." Then, she added, "We all commend her for being brave and going public with it and I know she's a fighter. She will pull through this."
During a break from "DWTS" rehearsals on Friday, November 9, the contestant of the reality show's "All-Stars" edition uttered, "I can relate to her on a mother's standpoint. She said something in her video that really touched me. She said 'I'm usually the one taking care of everybody. I'm the mom. I'm the wife. And now I need people to take care of me.' I think that hits home with most women and mothers."
"That's our role. We put on that tough armor, which is what Brooke's done for the past two months," Melissa went on. Melissa's pro-dancer partner Tony Dovolani added, "As parents, we know exactly what she is going through. She has an incredible heart and a strong mind. In fact, she's actually trying to be strong for all of us. Things like this bring us all closer."
In another interview with Entertainment Tonight, Melissa broke into tears when talking about Brooke's cancer. "Nobody had a clue. We've seen her all season long, you know? During the whole days of dress rehearsal and show days and Tuesdays and you talk to her and she's fine," she said. The former contestant of "The Bachelor" added, "She's bubbly."
The 2009 World's Most Beautiful People according to PEOPLE went on, "There was nothing about her that made anybody go, 'I wonder what's going on with Brooke? I wonder if she's feeling okay.' " She then expressed her sympathy for her friend's four children, "It really hits home that there are so many bigger issues and bigger things going on in the world [other than dancing]. You can't lose perspective on that and, you know, she's a mom. And that kind of gets you a little bit."
Brooke posted a video on YouTube on Thursday, November 8, to tell her fans that she's diagnosed with thyroid cancer. "I got my results back and they were not good. I need to have thyroid surgery and a thyroidectomy, which means I'm going to have a nice big scar right here across my neck," she said. "I'm ready to deal with it and I'm going to be fine," she continued. "I feel really, really strong."
