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23 Feb 2026 8:57
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Jon Batiste's wife is in remission from leukaemia

    The 'Freedom' singer's spouse, Suleika Jaouad - who was first diagnosed with the disease in 2010 before relapsing in December 2021 and again last summer - is currently "doing great" and the couple are feeling "very inspired" by the positive turn in the writer's health battle


    Jon told E! News: "She's doing great. Now she has this beautiful remission. That's been the case for the last few months and we're just hoping that it remains that way. She's been taking everything in stride and gracefully dealing with all of the things that are going on.

    "She's able to continue to paint, continue to write. All this is happening after this crazy recurrence, and it's just the best-case scenario. She's feeling healthy. The treatment is working and we're very inspired."

    But the 38-year-old singer and his spouse - who married in secret after her second diagnosis - are aware things won't always be plain sailing with her health.

    He said: "It's just a process. It goes through these different moments of treatments that are indefinite for her, it won't stop. It will continue until there's some innovation. We know that.

    "Sometimes the cancer will be gone, other times, we'll have to deal with what comes when it comes back and that's just a part of our life. I support her in that."

    And Jon believes the 36-year-old author's struggles have made them stronger as a couple.

    He said: "It tests you. We all have these things that challenge us to build our character and strengthen our relationships.

    "It's actually strengthened our relationship and connection because we already were close."

    In December, Suleika reflected on the ups and downs they have experienced and expressed her gratitude for the "joys" that have brightened the days during the "hardest" times.

    Sharing a selection of photos from 2014, she wrote on Instagram: "When you learn for the third time you have cancer, it's easy to feel hopeless.

    "But my photos showed me that even in the hardest moments, there were so many joys. That life is not a monolith. That our forever work is to learn to hold the brutal and beautiful in the same palm."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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