Colleen Hoover Has Cancer and Is Opening up About Her Health Journey
"I got results back today from the geneticist that say my cancer did not come from family genes."
Updated Jan. 13 2026, 10:37 a.m. ET
It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover has cancer. It’s a hard diagnosis to accept, but one she’s slowly beginning to be more open about.
On Jan. 12, 2026, Colleen took to her Instagram Stories to share a photo of herself, not looking quite as joyful as fans are used to seeing, along with the caption, “Second to last day of radiation!”
While the update is big news for fans of Colleen and her work, especially since she’s never really mentioned any serious health issues before, it’s actually not the first time she’s talked about her diagnosis. Just a few days before sharing details about her treatment, she also opened up about it on Facebook. Here’s everything we know about Colleen’s health, including what she says is the likely cause of her cancer.
Let's take a closer look at Colleen Hoover's health.
For the most part, Colleen Hoover has always appeared to be in good health. She’s been very active professionally over the past few years, from working on her film adaptation of It Ends With Us, starring Blake Lively, to bringing her December 2018 self-published ebook Verity to the big screen, which is scheduled to release in May 2026 and will star Anne Hathaway.
Reminders of Him was also adapted into a film, and on top of that, Colleen released another new book, Woman Down, which dropped on Jan. 13, 2026. Needless to say, she’s been a busy woman and hadn’t appeared to be battling any health issues.
The only exception came in October 2025, when she unexpectedly missed the premiere of Regretting You, based on her 2019 novel, and couldn’t moderate the signing for Lukas Gage’s I Wrote This for Attention due to an “unavoidable surgery.”
At the time, she didn’t give any details, aside from posting on Instagram: “I will not be moderating the signing for @lukasgage this month, nor will I be able to attend the premiere or any events for @regrettingyoumovie. I’m super bummed, but am having an unavoidable surgery and can’t travel for a while.”
But after January 2026 rolled around, Colleen opened up a bit more about her health, including the fact that she has cancer.
What type of cancer does Colleen Hoover have?
Colleen hasn’t disclosed the exact type of cancer she has, but she did confirm on Facebook on Jan. 10, 2026, that it “did not come from family genes.” She also shared that the results she got back from the geneticist revealed the cancer “also didn’t come from the two main causes of the cancer, which are HPV and excessive hormones.” Instead, Colleen says her cancer likely comes from “environmental/lifestyle, which is lack of exercise, poor diet, and stress.”
She added, “I’m happy and grateful to be alive but I hate vegetables. I hate when I have to get off the couch. I hate sweating. I hate when science is right. If you see me at the gym, don’t even tell me good job. If you see me at a restaurant eating grilled chicken and drinking water, I’m probably real mad about it.”
On Jan. 12, 2026, a day before her Woman Down book released, Colleen took to Instagram Stories this time, sharing an update about the treatment she underwent, writing, “Second to last day of radiation! I wish I could blame my hair and facial expressions on @texas.oncology, but they’ve been great. Hope you never need them, but highly recommend them.”
So, it’s safe to assume the surgery Colleen underwent back in October 2025 might have been cancer-related, and she’s now completing her radiation.