Vanessa Hudgens has revealed the sad news that her dad, Greg, is facing a battle against stage 4 cancer.
The former High School Musical star made the emotional revelation during an acceptance speech at the Industry Dance Awards on Wednesday, Aug. 19, for her Breakthrough Performer award.
The event was held to benefit The Circle of Hope, a charity which supports dancers who survive cancer. And Hudgens, who attended the ceremony with her boyfriend, Austin Butler, explained to the audience that as a couple, she and Butler now really knew what it meant to be a family dealing with the dreaded disease.
"Last year, my boyfriend, Austin, lost his mom, Lori, to cancer, and my dad has just been recently diagnosed with stage four cancer," she said. "Let me tell you, I hate cancer. I hate cancer with every cell of my being."
The 26-year-old actress then went on to dedicate her award to her boyfriend's mom, her own dad, and all families dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
"This award, it means a lot to me but I dedicate it to my boyfriend's mom, Lori, my dad, and to all the families out there who are struggling with this, because it really takes a strong person and a strong family to be able to help those out who are going through this," Hudgens said, filled with emotion.
This is the first time brunette actress has spoken out about her dad's cancer battle, although she did share an Instagram picture three weeks ago, asking fans to pray for his healing.
Posting a photo of her and her father together, the actress captioned the pic, "My daddy and I. Please pray for his healing!!! The more prayers the better."
Watch Hudgens' emotional speech in the video above.
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