Pop divadom brings glittering rewards but it also carries heavy penalties. Among the latter are 24/7 press attention to any and every thing you do and the knowledge that parts of the media will never let the facts get in the way of a good story. It's hardly surprising that many pop icons try to preserve some semblance of privacy by just pulling down the blinds, hiding behind the designer shades and trying as best they can to ignore the sleepless siege within which they live their lives.

All the more commendable, therefore, that Kylie Minogue does things differently. Faced with unrelenting public interest in her battle with breast cancer, Australia's pop princess might reasonably have preferred to concentrate on her treatment and ignore the often mischievous media altogether. But Ms Minogue has been around long enough to be aware that what she does - or is alleged to do - will often be a green light to thousands of others to do likewise.

When she went public about her own breast cancer earlier this year, mammography appointments in Australia and elsewhere soared by 60%. Now, conscious of her great influence on other women, she has moved to quash press claims that she has embraced alternative medical remedies and special diets to fight the disease.

Times are tough enough as it is for Ms Minogue. She deserves even more admiration for insisting that medical science should be at the heart, not just of her own treatment, but of that of any cancer sufferers who look to her as a role model.