DWTS Guest Judge Shares the 4 Words His Cancer-Stricken Daughter Told Him

In 2023, Michael Strahan guest judged “Motown Night” on “Dancing With the Stars.” A short while later, his daughter, Isabella Strahan, was diagnosed with brain cancer.

The then-19-year-old began treatments for medulloblastoma, which included surgery and chemotherapy. Now, Strahan is opening up about his daughter’s battle — and her recovery.

“She wasn’t eating much. She was thin and tired and bald and all the things you hate to see your kid go through,” he recalled in a candid interview with People magazine. “Her spirit was there. One of the things she said, probably the hardest thing I had to hear was, ‘Dad I’ll do whatever. I want to live,'” he recalled.

Isabella chronicled her cancer journey in a series of YouTube videos. In her last video, uploaded in July 2024, she announced that she was officially cancer free.

Social Media Users Praised Isabella Strahan for Her Strength & Michael Strahan for Being a ‘Good’ Dad

Shortly after People published the interview with Michael Strahan and his daughter, some people took to Reddit to react.

“My god this is my worst fear with my own kids. I just can’t imagine having to go through something like this, both as the child and the parents. I could cry just thinking about it. My heart goes out to Michael and his family,” one person wrote.

“There are no words. My husband fought GBM and there were multiple terrible milestones and words spoken that I would not wish on anyone. When we were told that they would no longer continue treatment and hospice was next I could not allow my heart to break because I needed to tend to his. I applaud them being open with this and I am rooting SO hard for her battle,” someone else said.

“He’s such a good father,” a third Redditor added.

Isabella Strahan’s Doctors Feel ‘Confident’ Following Her Treatment

Isabella still has to have scans every three months to ensure that the cancer doesn’t return. The whole family remains vigilant as life slowly returns to a new normal.

“Her doctors feel very confident, she’s going to be fine. That’s what we’re going to hold on to, but you’re nervous every time. That will never go away but as long as the results come back positive, then we’ll live to fight another day,” he told People.

Since finishing up her cancer treatments, Isabella Strahan has returned to the University of Southern California (USC). As she works on finishing up her degree, she’s still cautious about what the future holds.

“Obviously you can’t predict what will happen and that’s a little scary. But I don’t think you can solely live in fear. I think I should live every day. Take every opportunity. I see the impact that can come from sharing my experience. I want to be a voice,” she told People.

She’s majoring in communications.