Mrs Howard was known to have suffered cancer, but had not previously revealed what type which was widely believed to be breast cancer.
Mrs Howard, a patron of the National Breast Cancer Centre, told the Pink Ribbon Breakfast in Sydney, that women had a responsibility to tend to the their own health needs and those of their friends.
"I didn't have breast cancer. My cancer was cervical cancer and you know there were media stories that this would all just sort of clear up," she said.
"To see the recognition that the pink ribbon has brought and the amount of tension during that month and I hope that where you are wearing that pink ribbon it reminds you not only do you have a personal responsibility about your own body, but perhaps you have a responsibility for your friends and relatives to remind them what is the message behind the pink ribbon and that is to tackle the issue of breast cancer."