The supermodel has opened up about her secret diagnosis

The 60-year-old revealed in her new memoir, Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself, that she went against the advice of 32 doctors who she spoke to, in order to follow a more holistic approach to her diagnosis.

She explained that she underwent a lumpectomy seven years ago, and was diagnosed with a type of breast cancer called HER2-positive oestrogen receptive intraductal carcinoma.

“It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways and it really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me," she explained in an interview with Women's Weekly.

The model explained that she was recommended to have a mastectomy with radiation and chemotherapy, as well as hormone therapy and reconstruction of her breast.

However, instead she rented a house in Arizona and “holistically treated” her cancer, following the guidance of her primary doctor, a doctor of naturopathy, two therapists, an osteopath, a chiropractor and a holistic dentist.

The WelleCo founder was dating disgraced anti-vaxxer Andrew Wakefield at the time.

“Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But saying no to my own inner sense would have been even harder,” she said, adding that she believed surgery and chemotherapy were an extreme choice to make.

She said the move was “a wonderful exercise in being true to myself, trusting myself and trusting the nature of my body and the course of action that I had chosen”.

“I realised I was going to need my own truth, my belief system to support me through it,” she added.

She said she did not take the decision to refuse chemotherapy lightly, and that her family had mixed reactions to her decision.

Her 19-year-old son wasn’t comfortable with my choice at all”, whereas her 14-year-old son “thought that chemo kills you”.

There is no scientific evidence that alternative therapies cure cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.

They say that some therapies can aid side effects, but alternative medicines can be harmful.