Gillian Gilbert: living with cancer, seeking privacy

A misunderstanding around Stephen Morris’s interview remarks prompted her public clarification. She and the drummer remain off the road as New Order approach a dual Hall of Fame induction and South American dates without them.

Gillian Gilbert, New Order’s keyboardist and guitarist, issued a public statement on 15 September 2026 to correct a misunderstanding about her health. Remarks by her husband and bandmate, drummer Stephen Morris, had led some to assume he was the one seriously unwell. Gilbert made plain he is well and that she is living with cancer.

Morris had spoken of “a bit of a health problem at the minute, which precludes leaving the country for any length of time,” and had described the situation as “pretty serious.” Gilbert wrote: “I would like to gently clarify a misunderstanding from the interview, in the course of which comments were misinterpreted leading people to believe that Stephen is seriously ill. Thankfully, he is well. It is in fact me, who like many other people, is living with cancer.”

She added that the couple were “enormously grateful for everyone’s kindness and support and would appreciate some privacy as I continue with my treatment.”

From Joy Division into New Order

Gilbert joined New Order later in 1980. The band had formed that year after the disbandment of Joy Division following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. Vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris regrouped; Gilbert’s arrival on keyboards completed the line-up that carried the group forward.

New Order’s integration of post-punk with electronic and dance music made them one of the most acclaimed and influential bands of the 1980s. They were the flagship band for Manchester-based independent record label Factory Records and its nightclub The Haçienda, and they worked in long-term collaboration with graphic designer Peter Saville. The early albums fixed that reputation: *Movement* appeared in 1981, followed by *Power, Corruption & Lies* in 1983. Later entries on the catalogue include the single *Be a Rebel* in 2020 and the live album *Education, Entertainment, Recreation* in 2021.

Joy Division, formed in Salford in 1976 with Curtis, Sumner, Hook and Morris, had already set a decisive post-punk mark with *Unknown Pleasures* in 1979 and *Closer* in 1980. That shared history is part of what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will mark when New Order and Joy Division are inducted together on 14 November 2026 in Los Angeles.

Gilbert was previously treated successfully for breast cancer in 2007 and returned to the band’s touring line-up. Her latest statement does not elaborate on the present diagnosis beyond saying she is living with cancer and continuing treatment.

Stepping back from the road

In June 2026 New Order announced that both Morris and Gilbert would step back from live performances “for the foreseeable future” due to personal health reasons. They will not join the South American tour dates beginning in late November 2026.

The mid-September clarification leaves those live arrangements as they stood. Gilbert and Morris remain away from the stage while treatment continues. The dual induction in Los Angeles is the next major public date on the calendar; the South American run follows without them. Gilbert’s request is clear: gratitude for support and privacy while she undergoes treatment, and the statement keeps the emphasis there.