My doctor’s given me a year to live. It’s time I had a second hit single
80s singer plots shock return
People think I made a heap of money and buggered off
Eighties one hit wonder Natasha has launched an unlikely comeback – five months after being told she had just a year to live.
The Glasgow singer – who had a Top 10 single with Iko Iko in 1982 – was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in March.
But the 65-year-old has just released a single and album titled Somehow despite the grim news.
She rejected medical advice to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy in favour of alternative treatments.
And the singer – real name Dorothy Natasha England – revealed the hospital results only inspired her to get into the recording studio.
Natasha said: “I had a lumpectomy on my left breast and a lymph node clearance of my left arm in November 2004, followed by a further lumpectomy two weeks after my initial surgery in December 2004.
“Last September, I was diagnosed with cancer again, having just got back from Scotland after my mother died.
“I had another lumpectomy on my right breast.
“In March, my doctor at The Royal Free Hospital gave me a year to live if I didn’t have chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other things. But I chose instead to try natural cures including cannabis oil plus a healthy diet. I’ve never felt better.
“I’m a survivor and I’ve risen above all adversity and I’m stronger for it.
“I’m fit, I’m healthy and for as long as it lasts, I will enjoy every moment. I’m ready to get on with the music and the rest of my life.”
Natasha, who was raised in Hamilton, shares a home in North London with Scottish musician friend Johnny Binnie.
By the time she became a singer, Natasha had worked in the management of stars including David Bowie and Rod Stewart.
However, in recent years she has struggled to get by.
She said: “People think I made a heap of money and buggered off.
“But while I’ve made a lot of people very rich, I don’t know if I’ve got a home from one year to the next.”
She added: “It’s a shame. I should have had many hits.
“Someone once wrote on Wikipedia that I was the most underrated singer of the 80s.
“I could sing, and still can.”