“Real Housewives of Atlanta”'s Monyetta Shaw-Carter, 45, Reveals She Was Diagnosed with Breast Cancer (Exclusive)

Real Housewives of Atlanta's Monyetta Shaw-Carter is opening up astir a caller wellness challenge.

The reality prima and erstwhile power personality, 45, was diagnosed pinch bosom crab past year. "I had a biopsy astir 10 years agone and it came backmost benign," she tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Then past twelvemonth successful September I was doing a self-check because I felt this random sensation that I can’t really picture successful my near boob. It was for illustration thing I’ve ever felt before. It was virtually for illustration my assemblage was alerting maine that thing was wrong."

Then it was clip to travel up pinch a plan.

"While doing each of nan biopsies and MRIs I was first considering having a double mastectomy. But aft my familial testing came backmost favorable, and aft sitting successful my reality for immoderate time, I decided connected nan lumpectomy."

“It’s truthful important for maine to stock this communicative because I dream to animate others not to disregard their gut feeling,” Shaw-Carter tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Our assemblage speaks to america and erstwhile it does we person to listen. It tin beryllium a matter of life aliases death.”

The Keep It Classy Nails CEO is truthful superior astir crab consciousness that for her 45th day statement connected May 31, each guests are to deterioration pinkish (associated pinch bosom crab awareness) to observe her being cancer-free.  

After her diagnosis, she recovered spot successful her hubby Heath Carter. But she knew she besides had to show her ex-fiancé, vocalist NE-YO, whom she started making love successful 2009 but divided from successful 2013, 2 months earlier their wedding.

The exes co-parent 2 children: girl Madilyn “Maddie”, 14, and son, Mason, 13. (Shaw-Carter and Heath joined successful November 2021, and she is besides stepmom to his 2 kids, Gigi and Brianna.)

“He was perfectly supportive,” Shaw-Carter says of nan infinitesimal she revealed her test to her ex-husband and World of Dance judge.

“We really told him erstwhile we were each there, my husband, and NE-YO, Maddie and Mason, and immoderate of Maddie's friends, were astatine a bowling alley, celebrating Maddie's birthday.” 

“The kids were talking and playing and bowling. And we took him to nan broadside and told NE-YO nan news, and nan daze that was connected his look said it all,” she says. “He was conscionable ace supportive.

"NE-YO was conscionable showing up for maine successful a awesome measurement and conscionable ever asking and making judge everything was okay. He was like, ‘Oh, you're gonna hit this.'"

Shaw-Carter has besides been getting awesome support from her chap RHOA castmate, Kandi Burruss. 

“When I told Kandi she instantly was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what tin I do?' She's been truthful ace supportive. She came by, sent, like, nan biggest stuff, for illustration her, and my different friends are successful title pinch who tin nonstop maine nan biggest flower arrangements.”

“Seriously, conscionable being ace supportive and conscionable showing up, asking if I request anything. I besides told Porsha (Williams), Cynthia (Bailey), and Shamea (Morton) a mates of weeks earlier my room and they person been ace supportive,” she says.

"I was astatine a day meal for a communal friend of ours and I told Sheree (Whitfield), and she was ace supportive,” Shaw-Carter says. 

“And she conscionable gave maine each kinds of like, ‘Oh, my gosh, girl, like, how? I couldn't imagine! Okay, fto maine spell and make judge I cheque mine.’ I’ve conscionable received immense support from nan girls," she says. "I don't deliberation immoderate of nan different girls know, truthful they will beryllium uncovering retired and I cognize I will beryllium getting telephone calls very soon to that effect."