Leigha Moore Reveals The 'Bittersweet' Reason She Isn't Appearing At The 2023 Gympie Music Muster

Queensland country singer Leigha Moore won’t be appearing at this year’s Gympie Music Muster – it’s the first time since 2013 that Moore won’t perform or attend the massive country music festival. While that’s sad news on its own, it’s for a positive reason.

Yesterday (25 August), Moore took to social media to reveal that she had her second laparoscopy for endometriosis and cyst removal, which will provide the Ain’t Your Girl No More singer with a few years of pain relief.

“Today is bittersweet,” she wrote on Instagram. Detailing the bitter and the sweet, she continued, “Bitter: It’s the first time since 2013 that I won’t be at Gympie Music Muster,” and, “Sweet: I got my 2nd laparoscopy for endometriosis and cyst removal. Yay for a couple more years of pain relief” and tagged Endometriosis Australia in the post.

Moore was in the hospital with her mother by her side. She thanked her mother for being there, and “the staff at Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital always a laugh! I love cracking cheeky jokes with them”.

In the photos, which you can swipe through below, you can find Moore attending her first Gympie Music Muster, winning the talent search to appear at the festival, performing at the Muster for the first time, and attending last year’s event with her best friend, Kat.

Endometriosis affects the lives of roughly 10% of the world’s population, the WHO reports, which is a staggering 190 million sufferers across the globe.

The WHO describes endometriosis as “a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant.” The condition leads to scarring and inflammation around the tissue, causing severe, life-impacting and often debilitating pain in the pelvic region.

In July, fellow country artist Sammy White shared a photo of herself post-surgery with a smile and thumbs up, accompanying the image with the caption, “I win this round, endo”.

Lyn Bowtell also disclosed her ongoing fight against endometriosis on Triple M Newcastle in June. Bowtell told Tanya and Steve that some women “covered in endo” don’t realise until they struggle to have children, while others, like Bowtell, experience dark fluid-filled cysts, often called “chocolate cysts”.

The 2023 Gympie Music Muster runs from Thursday, 24 August, until Sunday, 27 August, in the North Queensland town of Amamoor. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s event.

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