Actor and television presenter Jewel Mary, best known for her portrayals in the Mammootty starrers Pathemari and Utopiayile Rajavu, has spoken candidly about one of the most challenging periods of her life, revealing that she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2023 while going through a prolonged divorce. In a new video on her social media page, Jewel clarified that she is now fully healthy and is sharing her experience to support others facing similar struggles. “Some people think I am unwell now. Let me clarify. I had thyroid cancer in 2023. Now it is 2025. My treatment is over and I have no illness. I am very healthy,” she said.
Comparing her story to a lighthouse guiding travellers through a dark sea, she added: “I have simply lit a small matchstick for those who need it. My story may not help everyone, but some people need to hear it. I do not wish to dwell on it or live in fear. What has passed is past. What is to come will come. Life is about living in the present.” She also shared a photograph taken before her surgery, recalling: “I was scared, but I smiled. Even after the surgery, I got ready, put on my make-up, and smiled. I was smiling then, and even now, when I look back, I smile because I survived it all.”
Jewel had previously spoken about this difficult chapter in an interview with Dhanya Varma. She said her divorce was a drawn-out legal battle that took nearly four years, describing the process as a hard-earned freedom. Her marriage ended in 2021, and the divorce was finalised only in 2024. During this time, she took a solo trip to the UK and Ireland, which she described as the best journey of her life. On returning to Kochi, she went for a routine check-up due to long-standing thyroid issues. A scan led to a biopsy, which confirmed the presence of cancer.
In February 2023, she underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove her thyroid, which also temporarily affected her voice. The cancer was detected early and had not spread extensively. Recovery involved voice therapy, physiotherapy and counselling. “The most distressing part was losing my voice. Speaking, singing and hosting have always been part of me. Without them, I felt like I had disappeared,” she said. She described the diagnosis as a turning point, realising she could only rely on herself. “For two days, I did not live. On the third day, I thought, I have not died today, so I must live until my time comes.”
Six months after treatment, doctors confirmed she was free of cancer, with only a low chance of recurrence. Looking back, Jewel said, “In 2023, I got cancer, and by 2024, I had fought through it. It has been a year since my divorce. I have overcome everything that happened in my life in this time. It is difficult to get out of our struggles, but stepping out is the only way to find peace.”