Canadian figure skater Piper Gilles says she has been treated for stage one ovarian cancer.
Gilles announced this in a video on Instagram on Sunday and promised further details about an upcoming television appearance The social. Gilles and ice dancing partner Paul Poirer missed several competitions last figure skating season after having her appendix removed in January.
She revealed in her video post that the procedure was more complex than she originally revealed and involved the removal of her left ovary.
“So when I went in for surgery I had to have my appendix removed as a precaution because we weren’t sure what type of tumor was in my left ovary,” Gilles said, speaking directly into the camera. “So I wanted to tell you that I wasn’t completely lying. Our team basically wanted to protect myself and Paul.”
Gilles and Poirier started the 2022-23 figure skating season strong, winning gold at Skate Canada in October, the Espoo Grand Prix in November and the Grand Prix Final in December. They then took a medical leave of absence to allow Gilles to treat her cancer and returned to win bronze at the World Championships in Saitama, Japan in late March.
Gilles, 31, from Toronto, said she waited before disclosing her diagnosis because she needed time to emotionally digest it, especially since her mother was dying of cancer.
“So it was really just to kind of protect myself and focus on what I wanted to do and that was finish the season strong and win medals at World Championships,” Gilles said. “I know we got bronze but for myself and I know for Paul it really feels like we won gold because of everything we went through just to even be there and it perform.”
She and Poirier also represented Canada at the Beijing 2022 Olympics.
When she fully recovers, she and Poirier intend to perform on touring ice shows.
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