‘You’ve got cancer’ are not the words you expect to hear when you’re a 40-something marathon running fitness freak who has never even smoked a cigarette. Karen Hockney’s extraordinary battle with breast cancer was different in two ways. First, as an Englishwoman living in the south of France, a stone’s throw from Cannes, she suddenly had to contend with language barriers and an unfamiliar health system (albeit an extraordinarily efficient one). Secondly, as a leading showbusiness writer who has penned for publications including Hello, The Times and You Magazine, her job was jet-setting around the world to meet some of the most famous celebrities of our time. How could she cope with facing them sans wig, battling nausea and exhaustion? How would they react – and was it really possible to go from Cancer to Cannes Film Festival in the space of a few weeks?
A memoir with a difference, Breathing Out is full of practical advice, meticulous research and knowledge garnered from Karen’s journey, punctuated by hope, positivity and a smattering of life-affirming humour.
