American soul and gospel singer, Candi Staton has just taken to Instagram to reveal she was diagnosed with breast cancer back in the summer.

The 78-year-old singer is best known for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's Stand By Your Man and her 1976 disco chart-topper Young Hearts Run Free. In Europe, her biggest selling record was in 1986 with the anthemic You Got the Love.

Taking to Instagram, the four-time Grammy Award nominee said: "After all I've gone through in my life...it's the last thing I ever expected to go through, but I'm going through it and I plan to beat it."

Candi Staton, who received the bad news last summer on the first day of rehearsals for her tour, now begins the daunting prospect of chemotherapy this week.

Explaining why she kept the bad news secret until now, Candi Staton said: "I decided to keep it to myself and do some soul searching. I went through all of the emotions: denial, poor me and anger. It really helped me to be on the road, doing something I love to do, and was born to do."

In her lengthy post, which you can read in full below, Candi Staton also said: "Cancer can happen to anyone. I found a lump through self-check, so I really encourage women - including elderly women - to get a regular mammogram."

Candi Staton is now urging her fans to get themselves checked out. She said, "Don't let the fact that you are young or that you've lived a certain length of time without getting it, fool you in to thinking you're immune to it. Have yourself checked because it can happen at any age."

Here is the full statement from Staton: "I‘ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. After all I’ve gone through in my life – the domestic abuse, the bad relationships, alcoholism, fighting with record labels for royalties and all of that stuff – it’s the last thing I ever expected to go through, but I’m going through it and I plan to beat it.

###

"The diagnosis came in the summer, on the first day of rehearsals for the Unstoppable tour. I decided to keep it to myself and do some soul searching. I went through all of the emotions: denial, poor me and anger. It really helped me to be on the road, doing something I love to do, and was born to do.

###

"When I walked out on that stage, I didn’t think about anything else. It pulled things out of me that I haven’t done. It pulled real life out of me. I’m not entertaining anymore, this is real. I’m singing for myself, and you get the real me today.

"I thought I’d been doing all the right things. I don’t eat red meat. I take vitamins and medicinal herbs. I stay active and keep my weight down. How could this happen to me? The lesson I’ve learned is that it can happen to anyone regardless of how healthy a lifestyle you lead.

"Cancer can happen to anyone. I found a lump through self-check, so I really encourage women – including elderly women - to get a regular mammogram. Don’t let the fact that you are young or that you’ve lived a certain length of time without getting it, fool you in to thinking you’re immune to it. Have yourself checked because it can happen at any age.

"I’ve had more tests in the last two months than I’ve had in my entire life but while I’ve been at the hospital, I’ve met all kinds of people going through the same thing. Just the other day, I saw a young woman.

"She was all alone. She was upset because she had cancer before and it came back. I saw a ring on her finger and asked where her fiancé was, and she angrily said she didn’t know because he’s not taking her diagnosis well.

"I encouraged her and told her not to give up because God isn’t through with her yet. I hugged her, and she leaned into me and just started crying and said, “Thank you.” Comforting that young woman took my mind off of my own situation momentarily."

View this post on Instagram

I‘ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. After all I’ve gone through in my life – the domestic abuse, the bad relationships, alcoholism, fighting with record labels for royalties and all of that stuff – it’s the last thing I ever expected to go through, but I’m going through it and I plan to beat it. ### The diagnosis came in the summer, on the first day of rehearsals for the Unstoppable tour. I decided to keep it to myself and do some soul searching. I went through all of the emotions: denial, poor me and anger. It really helped me to be on the road, doing something I love to do, and was born to do. ### When I walked out on that stage, I didn’t think about anything else. It pulled things out of me that I haven’t done. It pulled real life out of me. I’m not entertaining anymore, this is real. I’m singing for myself, and you get the real me today. I thought I’d been doing all the right things. I don’t eat red meat. I take vitamins and medicinal herbs. I stay active and keep my weight down. How could this happen to me? The lesson I’ve learned is that it can happen to anyone regardless of how healthy a lifestyle you lead. Cancer can happen to anyone. I found a lump through self-check, so I really encourage women – including elderly women - to get a regular mammogram. Don’t let the fact that you are young or that you’ve lived a certain length of time without getting it, fool you in to thinking you’re immune to it. Have yourself checked because it can happen at any age. I’ve had more tests in the last two months than I’ve had in my entire life but while I’ve been at the hospital, I’ve met all kinds of people going through the same thing. Just the other day, I saw a young woman. She was all alone. She was upset because she had cancer before and it came back. I saw a ring on her finger and asked where her fiancé was, and she angrily said she didn’t know because he’s not taking her diagnosis well. I encouraged her and told her not to give up because God isn’t through with her yet. I hugged her, and she leaned into me and just started crying and said, “Thank you.” Comforting that young woman took my mind off of my own situation momentarily.

A post shared by Candi Staton (@candistaton) on Oct 29, 2018 at 9:59am PDT