5 things you didn’t know about Mary Jo ‘MJ’ Campbell

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She is a two-time cancer survivor

MJ’s legendary resilience is a primary source of inspiration for the Kardashian-Jenner clan. She successfully battled both colon cancer and breast cancer. Kris Jenner has frequently shared that her mother’s strength and positive attitude during difficult chemotherapy treatments gave her the blueprint on how to handle life’s toughest moments.

She ran an upscale fashion boutique for over 40 years

Long before her granddaughters opened their famous D-A-S-H stores, MJ was a seasoned retail entrepreneur. In 1980, she founded Shannon & Company, a children’s clothing boutique in La Jolla, California. She personally curated and ran the upscale shop for over four decades, proving that a sharp eye for fashion retail is truly hereditary.

Her first marriage lasted just two months

The Kardashian-Jenners are famous for their highly publicised, dramatic love lives—but MJ had her own whirlwind romance first. At just 18 years old, she married her high school sweetheart. The marriage lasted a brief two months before they divorced. MJ later married Kris's father, Robert True Houghton, and subsequently spent 40 years married to Harry Shannon.

She attended charm school and worked as a model

MJ’s effortless poise and classic sense of style were carefully cultivated in her youth. As a teenager, she attended professional charm school and worked as a print model. The lessons she learned about posture, elegance, and presentation were passed directly down to her daughters and granddaughters, who made those exact traits the cornerstone of their global brands.

She has a secret Instagram account to keep tabs on the family

Keeping up with dozens of high-profile grandchildren and great-grandchildren is no easy task. To follow her family’s daily updates without dealing with the public spotlight, MJ uses a private, secret Instagram account. Kim Kardashian once shared that her grandmother is incredibly tech-savvy and loves using her stealth profile to browse family photos.

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