“Top Chef” alum Shirley Chung revealed she was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer.

The chef, who appeared on Season 11 of the cooking competition series, told her Instagram followers that her doctors discovered the illness in December after she suffered a series of dental issues, including biting her tongue “severely” and fracturing her tooth.

“We thought it was because I am a heavy teeth grinder. And I was too busy to see an EMT specialist,” she wrote alongside photos of herself and her partner, Jimmy, shaving their heads

By May, Chung said, she had developed ulcers and found a hidden tumour under her tongue, writing, “A few days later, I was diagnosed, stage 4 tongue cancer, as cancer cells also spread into my lymph nodes.”

“I was very calm when doctors delivered the news, as a chef, I’ve always thrived under pressure,” she continued.

“I was extremely focused on getting all the tests and scans as fast as possible, so I can start on the treatment plans.”

However, when her doctor called on June 2, 2024, to discuss her treatment options, Chung “broke down, crying, trying to put thoughts together and ask questions but physically couldn’t.”

“All I heard was ‘option 1, surgery, 100% removal of your tongue’ … Jimmy was holding it together for both of us, asking if we have any option that I can keep my tongue and the survival rates,” she said.

Chung continued, “‘There is another option, which was a unicorn case, at the University of Chicago, they cured a patient (a chef!) with radiation and chemo, but you will have to go to Chicago’ Higher survival rate, or keep my tongue? I chose to keep my tongue, I am a fighter, I am a chef, I can be that unicorn too.”

She continued, “I just finished 6 weeks of Chemo (and have many more to go), going to the hospital 4 times a week for injections, it’s like a full-time job.”