Jessie J Shares What She Spoke About with Kate Middleton, ‘Cancer Survivor to Cancer Survivor’

Jessie J said that she and Kate Middleton connected as cancer survivors and mothers when they recently met.

The pop star, 37, opened up about recently meeting the Princess of Wales, 43, at the Royal Variety Performance in London on Nov. 19, during a segment that aired on Good Morning America on Friday, Dec. 5.

“Did Princess Kate say anything to you, mom to mom?” ABC News Foreign Correspondent Maggie Rulli asked the singer about her royal encounter.

“She just said, ‘Thank you, I know you’ve gone through a tough time.’ I said, ‘I know you have too.’ I just said, ‘I want to acknowledge that, mum to mum, cancer survivor to cancer survivor. I see you, and I feel you. Can I give you a hug?’ She said, ‘Of course you can,’ ” Jessie said.

“I’m grateful she received it in the way it was meant,” she added.

The “Domino” singer met the Princess of Wales at the Royal Variety Show at Royal Albert Hall a few weeks ago, where she and Kate spoke and shared a hug.

Jessie and her partner Chanan Safir Colman share son Sky, 2, while Princess Kate and Prince William are parents to Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.

In March 2024, the Princess of Wales announced that she was undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer and reduced her royal duties to focus on her health. Princess Kate said in September 2024 that she had completed chemotherapy and announced early this year that she is in remission.

In June, Jessie (born Jessica Cornish) shared that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy later that month.

The singer then said she was due to undergo a second operation, for which she canceled her U.S. tour, but the operation was subsequently postponed.

During an appearance on the British talk show This Morning on Dec. 3, Jessie opened up about breaking royal protocol to hug Princess Kate when they met at the Royal Variety Performance because they are both mothers who navigated cancer in the public eye.

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“I was briefed not to, but… I just saw a mom that has also gone through cancer publicly, and I just wanted to give her a hug,” the “Bang Bang” singer said on the show. “It was as simple as that. I didn’t see her as the Princess of Wales, I mean obviously I did, and I was respectful…I said to her, ‘Can I give you a hug?’ and she received it.”

“I just said [to her], ‘It’s inspiring.’ And I just… I know the days that she has maybe gone through, and I just wanted to give her a hug — mom to mom, human to human.”