Shannen Doherty, whose breast cancer went into remission after first appearing in 2015, told Good Morning America on Tuesday that she has received a Stage 4 diagnosis after the cancer returned.
The Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed actress did not share any specific timeline or treatment details but said she knew about the diagnosis when shooting the reboot of 90210, which aired on Fox last year. She decided to go public because “it’s going to come out” soon anyway and she wanted to be the one to deliver the message.
“I’m petrified,” she told the ABC morning show. “I’m pretty scared. My mom is a ridiculously strong, courageous human being. So is my husband, but I worry about him.”
Doherty reflected on the sequence of events which saw her receive her diagnosis before Luke Perry died last March. “It’s so weird for me to be diagnosed and someone so seemingly healthy to go first,” she said. “It was really shocking. The least I could do to honor him was to do that show.”
Aside from her family, Doherty said, the only person she confided in was fellow 90210 cast member Brian Austin Green. “I had moments of great anxiety,” she said. “Prior to shooting, he would always call me and say, ‘Whatever happens, I’ve got your back.'”
Doherty also discussed suing State Farm over what she said was the insurance company’s inadequate coverage of damage to her home in the 2018 Woolsey fire, which burned nearly 100,000 acres in and around Malibu. GMA said according to court records $1.1 million had been paid to repair Doherty’s smoke-damaged home and said State Farm wished Doherty well in her cancer fight but maintained it has paid a proper amount.
“I want to make an impact with this lawsuit and by saying ‘enough is enough’ with big corporations running the little person over. It’s not fair and I’m taking a stand for all of us,” Doherty said.
Here is GMA’s tweet with the interview, a longer version of which will air later Tuesday on Nightline:
Must Read Stories
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.