The Italian model Bianca Balti (40) shone on the second night of the prestigious Sanremo music festival, whose winner is usually also Italy's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Her appearance caused a stir among the audience, especially since she recently announced that she had completed chemotherapy, which she had been receiving after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year.

Balti joined the festival as one of the hosts, and recently, on the occasion of World Cancer Day (February 4), she shared an emotional message on social media.

"World Cancer Day has always been just another random date for me, to be reminded of by a few Instagram posts, even though my aunt died of metastatic breast cancer at 39, and my mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma a few years ago. Even though I found out back in 2021 that I carry the BRCA1 gene, which led to a preventive double mastectomy in December 2022, cancer has failed to take over my thoughts, let alone my body," Balti wrote.

She added: "On October 14th, I began my chemotherapy battle, which ended last Monday. But to my great surprise, in those last months I felt more alive than ever before. I no longer take my life for granted, and my gratitude has reached its peak. Everything has begun to feel like a blessing."

Balti spoke candidly about how difficult the process was, but also how much it changed her.

"It was hard, and it's not quite over yet, but I wouldn't have it any other way. People say, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,' but in my experience, what didn't kill me made me love life even more," she wrote.

 

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Balti was diagnosed in September of last year after being hospitalized with severe abdominal pain. Doctors then discovered that the pain was caused by ovarian cancer.