Los Angeles, Dec 8 (IANS): American singer Anastacia says getting breast cancer was a "great irony" in her life as she hated her breasts once upon a time. However, she has realised that battling the disease has taught her to embrace her femininity.

"It's a great irony in my life that I absolutely hated my breasts and then I got breast cancer. These two little monsters - now I call them my twin set and they are just awesome. Now I'm just so very proud to be a woman," Anastacia told Big Issue magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"I'm extremely blessed - breast cancer brought more femininity my way than I knew what to do with. I had been so scared of it but now I embrace it. At the beginning of my career I was like, 'I'm a sex symbol? Oh my God, eww!'," she added.

The 47-year-old singer also said that she was "extremely innocent" as a teenager.

"She (I) was extremely innocent about the world, probably for too long. I didn't really understand how things worked out there, not until my career started and I had to make serious decisions," the "Stupid little things" crooner said.