Colleen Hoover Reveals Cancer Diagnosis as Adaptations Surge

Bestselling romance and thriller author Colleen Hoover has revealed she is undergoing treatment for cancer, sharing a rare hospital selfie with fans as multiple book and film projects tied to her work roll ahead.

The 46-year-old It Ends With Us author posted an Instagram Story from Texas Oncology marking her “second to last day of radiation,” joking about her hair and facial expression while praising the medical team caring for her. Hoover has not disclosed the specific type of cancer.

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Candid Health Reflections

Hoover first revealed her diagnosis in a December Facebook post, explaining that she’d been dealing with “recurring health issues” while on the Canadian set of the upcoming film adaptation of Reminders of Him. She chose to delay addressing the symptoms until filming wrapped—only to learn she had cancer once she returned home, according to reporting from the New York Post.

Hoover told readers the cancer was removed surgically and that she would need radiation but not chemotherapy, calling the experience “huge and scary” and noting that she skipped the premiere of the Regretting You film adaptation and other personal milestones while she processed her prognosis.

In a January 9 update, she added that genetic testing showed her cancer was not linked to family history, HPV, or excessive hormones. Instead, she wrote that it was likely tied to “lack of exercise, poor diet and stress,” quipping that she hates vegetables, sweating, and when “science is right,” as highlighted in InStyle’s coverage.

A Health Battle in the Middle of a Career Peak

Hoover’s diagnosis comes during one of the busiest periods of her career. Often called the queen of BookTok, she has sold more than 35 million books worldwide, with sales of It Ends With Us alone surpassing 10 million copies and boosted heavily by social media buzz and its Blake Lively–led film adaptation, according to industry data reported by Industry Intelligence.

Multiple Hoover titles are currently headed for the screen. Psychological thriller Verity is slated for a 2026 release, while Reminders of Him is set to arrive in theaters March 13, 2026, as part of a wave of adaptations tracked in our guide to every Colleen Hoover adaptation now in the works. Her new novel Woman Down—described by Hoover as one of the darkest books she has ever written—lands January 13, 2026, and continues the meta streak explored in our coverage of her announcement, Colleen Hoover Reveals Dark New Thriller ‘Woman Down’.

Those projects unfold against the backdrop of ongoing legal turmoil surrounding the It Ends With Us film, which has left Hoover “almost embarrassed” to recommend the novel and wary of discussing it publicly. Yet her health updates have prompted an outpouring of support from readers who discovered her through BookTok and from long-time fans who’ve watched her indie beginnings turn into a global phenomenon.

With radiation nearly complete and no chemotherapy required, Hoover’s prognosis appears cautiously hopeful—and the literary world will be watching closely as she balances recovery with a slate of books and adaptations that are only growing in reach.