Jools Topp, 48, who is one of the duo with her sister Lynda, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August. She is set to begin chemotherapy treatment in the next few weeks.
Topp told Nine to Noon that during her association with the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation's charity fashion event In the Pink, she was drilled to get suspicious breast lumps checked immediately - and this may have saved her life.
Topp said she views her cancer as a challenge, and her way of coping is to take one step at a time and keep a sense of humour about her situation.
She jokes that the experience may be fodder for a new show, and that with her recent mastectomy she is becoming more like one of her popular characters, Ken.
Regular checks
Topp says she wants to encourage other women to consider the importance of regular mammograms and early detection of breast cancer.
She says she is speaking about her experience with breast cancer to try to remove some of the fear of the disease.
Topp says that often people are shocked by a cancer diagnosis, and she thinks this causes them unnecessary stress at a time when they need to be thinking positively.
She told Nine to Noon that although chemotherapy may knock her around, she is focused on doing what is required for her recovery.
Household names
Jools and Lynda Topp were born in Huntly in 1958 and raised on a Waikato dairy farm. They made their debut performance at the age of five at a cousin's 21st party.
The Topp Twins' characters of Camp Mother & Camp Leader, The Ginghams, Prue & Dilly, Brenda & Raelene and Ken & Ken are household names in New Zealand.
