Popular television presenter Mao Kobayashi, 33, has been battling "serious" breast cancer for the past 20 months and is undergoing treatment, her kabuki actor husband, Ichikawa Ebizo, said Thursday.
He said the disease is "spreading really fast," and doctors have warned the couple that they face a tough road ahead.
The mother of two is receiving chemotherapy and has contemplated surgery, Ebizo told a hastily arranged news conference.