‘Top Chef’ star Shirley Chung reveals stage 4 cancer diagnosis

Chinese Ameican “Top Chef” Season 11 finalist and Season 14 competitor Shirley Chung revealed in an Instagram post on July 26 that she has been diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer, which has already spread to her lymph nodes.

In her post, Chung, 48, shared that ulcers erupted in her mouth in May and that she was diagnosed with the illness when her oral surgeon found “a hidden tumor” under her tongue. Chung has been undergoing a combination of radiation and chemotherapy as her treatment plan, sharing that her tumor “is shrinking,” her “speech is much better” and she can “eat most normal food now” after six weeks of chemotherapy. “I have a tough long road to recovery in front of me. Your love and support will carry me through. Cheer me on, Shirley Chung 2.0 will be reborn in 2025,” Chung wrote.