Kylie Minogue has said that she has “a great respect for the medical profession" just a day after she revealed that she was misdiagnosed by a doctor.

In a statement, the singer, who has now recovered from a battle with breast cancer, acknowledged that “countless people” had helped her.

On US television earlier this week, Minogue said that the first doctor she saw in 2005 had failed to recognise that she had breast cancer.

The singer used her appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' chat show to encourage women to seek a second opinion.

"I am in the very best of hands now, but it is a fact that my initial diagnosis was that I was 'alright, and had nothing to worry about',” Minogue said in today’s statement.

"A few weeks later this was clearly not the case. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment is the key for any woman diagnosed with breast cancer."

Minogue, who was forced to postpone her Showgirl Tour following her cancer diagnosis, will return to the UK this summer for a huge run of shows.

(by Jason Gregory)