Sara Sidner revealed that she’s been battling stage 3 breast cancer during a broadcast on CNN News Central on Monday, January 8. The news anchor, 51, shared that she had been diagnosed and was undergoing treatment, but she also used her platform to spread awareness about the disease on the show. She also revealed how unexpectedly it came. “I have never been sick a day of my life. I don’t smoke. I rarely drink. Breast cancer does not run in my family. And yet, here I am with stage 3 breast cancer. It is hard to say out loud,” she said as she teared up. “I am learning that no matter the hell we all go through in this life… I am still madly in love with mine.”
Sara told viewers that she was undergoing treatment, but she did encourage them to get checked and tested. “So to all my sisters Black and white and Brown out there, please for the love of God, get your mammograms every single year. Do your self-exams. Try to catch it before I did,” she said
Following the news of Sara’s cancer battle, find out more about the CNN anchor here.
Sara Began Her Journalism Career With Local Stations
Sara studied journalism in her home state at the University of Florida. After graduating, Sara began her career in local news, working for local TV stations in cities like San Francisco and Dallas, as well as states like Missouri and Florida, according to her CNN bio. She received regional Emmy Awards for her coverage during that time.
She Was Hired as an International and National Correspondent for CNN
Sara was originally hired and based out of CNN’s Los Angeles bureau, as a national and international correspondent. Her journalism has received many accolades, including a Peabody Award for CNN’s coverage of the Arab Spring in the early 2010s. Throughout 2020, she covered the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s murder. She’s covered news stories from many countries like Libya, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Taiwan, per her bio.
She Became a Co-Anchor in April 2023
When CNN restructured its daytime programming, Sara moved into a co-anchor role for CNN News Central, where she’s been for nearly a year. The show is based out of the network’s New York City bureau. She anchors the daily news from 9 a.m. to noon on weekdays.
She Was a College Athlete
While studying journalism in college, Sara still found some time to play. She walked on to the University of Florida women’s volleyball team, where she played throughout all four years of college, per the school’s website. She shared some memories in a 2023 interview with the school. “The reason I actually chose the University of Florida was for the school of journalism. I knew the volleyball team was a huge attraction and I wanted to see if I could make it. And then you start playing and your level of play goes up when you are playing against people whose level of play is far better than you are,” she said.
Even though her volleyball days are behind her, Sara still likes to cheer on the Gators and regularly shows her support for her alma-mater on social media.
Her Dad is African-American & Her Mom Is British
Sara also has a mixed race background. She opened up about how she feels that she’s able to blend in with different cultures in a 2011 interview with TV Guide. “It’s good to be brown. Whether it’s in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, people assume there is a connection there, that a parent or grandparent is from North Africa or from South Asia,” she said. ” I am a child of the world. My mother is British. My father is African-American. For me It’s been an advantage…Being this color, I can kind of blend in, and I don’t get the kind of unwanted attention you might get if I walked in and everyone has dark hair and olive skin and I have blonde hair and blue eyes.”