Photo: Getty Images
Shannen Doherty has shared an update on her stage 4 breast cancer and how she's determined to keep living her life. During a recent interview with People, the Beverly Hills, 90210 star revealed that the cancer has spread to her bones.
"I don’t want to die," the 52-year-old said. "I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better,” she says, cracking a smile. "I’m just not — I’m not done.”
Doherty is gearing up to explore her eight-year journey with cancer in her memoir-style podcast, Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty, which premieres on iHeartRadio on December 6th.
The actress first revealed her initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2015, had a mastectomy, and underwent chemotherapy and radiation, before announcing she went into remission in April 2017. Unfortunately, by 2019 the cancer returned and Doherty announced her diagnosis of metastatic stage 4 cancer in 2020.
“When you ask yourself, ‘Why me? Why did I get cancer?’ and then ‘Why did my cancer come back? Why am I stage 4?,’ that leads you to look for the bigger purpose in life," she said. The Charmed star is also hoping to be involved in clinical trials for developing treatments as well as raising awareness and money for cancer research. She's also ready to show the world that she can work despite her cancer.
“People just assume that it means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture at a very early age —‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ and we’re not,” Doherty said. “We’re vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and keep moving forward.”