‘Love Island Australia’ Star Lexy Thornberry Reveals Cancer Diagnosis at 24

Love Island Australia contestant Lexy Thornberry has revealed she’s been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 24.

Thornberry — who appeared on season 3 of the reality show back in 2021 — shared the news in an Instagram post over the weekend, telling her 64,000 followers that she’d “always been a healthy person” before she was recently told she has head and neck cancer.

“I am 24 years old, and I have been diagnosed with cancer.🎗️,” the reality star wrote in the caption, sharing multiple photos taken over the past few weeks.

Thornberry continued, “No, sadly I’m not joking. In the 2nd picture I posted above ^ …I couldn’t stop laughing that they put me in a robe for my X-ray- I thought it was so dramatic. A couple days later I was diagnosed with head & neck cancer,” referring to a picture of herself in a blue gown in the hospital.

She shared, “I have always been a healthy person, and was an athlete my entire life. I’m a Pilates instructor and I teach people how to live healthy lives 🌱 There’s nothing I did wrong and nothing that could have prevented it. It’s just the luck of the draw.”

“But it is something I will FIGHT,” Thornberry insisted. “Here’s a snippet of the last few weeks… It has definitely turned our lives upside down.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, “head and neck cancer often refers to cancers that start in the mouth, throat, sinuses and salivary glands. But other cancers can happen in the head and neck and are sometimes considered part of this category too.”

The photos and videos in the post included a shot of Thornberry looking emotional on a bed, as well as a clip showing her joking she’d be “rigging” a game of poker while smiling in a yellow outfit sitting on a yellow chair.

Another snap showed Thornberry’s fiancé, New Zealand professional boxer David Nyika, who was holding some sunflowers in a waiting room, as the reality star shared her appreciation for her hair ahead of chemotherapy and radiation treatment in a further video.

Thornberry explained in the video that she wasn’t allowed to wear a cold cap, which “is a treatment that uses cold to constrict the blood vessels in your scalp,” sometimes helping patients retain more hair during chemo, per the Cleveland Clinic.

“This is my hair, it’s the healthiest it’s ever been, so pretty and [I] never appreciated it,” she told fans, adding, “Let’s see how it survives.”

Another clip showed her joking around with a tube up her nose, while further videos focused on her getting treatment and showed her and Nyika dancing together before she got emotional in a different clip.

The final shot showed Thornberry posing snapping a mirror selfie underneath a sticky note which read, “I will beat cancer in 2026 [and] get married to Dave,” hiding the exact date of the nuptials next year.

Thornberry continued to write in the caption, “I am starting treatment and ask people to respect my privacy during this extremely difficult time. This is all I’m willing to share at the moment and ask everybody to keep their questions to themselves. xx.”

“The day I was diagnosed I made Dave swear that he would continue to fight and that this will not take over our lives together. Dave will be fighting on December 13 and I am so proud of him🥊,” Thornberry added, referencing Nyika’s upcoming fight against Wuzhati Nuerlang at Australia’s Gatton Shire Hall.

Thornberry wrote, “He will be fighting for me, and I’ll be fighting right beside him ❤️ like I said, it will be such a memorable night.”

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Nyika captioned a post on Instagram while promoting his upcoming fight, “As a new chapter begins, I am grateful for the lessons life has taught me. 🎗️”

“I pray for guidance and strength and give thanks for the opportunity to protect and provide for my loved ones. 🙏🏽 @lexythornberry,” the boxer added.

The couple announced their engagement in January with a sweet video on Instagram, showing Nyika getting down on one knee on a beach in Mexico as the waves crashed behind them and people cheered in the background.

“She said yes 💍🤍,” Nyika captioned the clip.