Shannen Doherty made the heartbreaking revelation that her breast cancer has returned, and it’s the deadliest kind, stage four. That means it has spread to other organs. She’s been living with the diagnosis for over a year, but just made the news public on Good Morning America on Feb. 4. The 48-year-old former Charmed star is getting love and support from her “sisters” from the show. Alyssa Milano, 47, posted a photo of Shannen looking healthy and gorgeous to her IG page and in the caption wrote, “Holding you tight in my heart, @theshando 🙏.” She played Phoebe Halliwell to Shannen’s Prue Halliwell for the first three years of the WB series.
Shannen left Charmed after season three and was replaced by actress Rose McGowan, who played half-sister Paige Matthews. The 46-year-old tweeted, “I wish you peace and strength on your journey You are an inspiration to so many.” Shannen revealed that she was forced to go public with the news because her diagnosis was in legal paperwork that was filed in her lawsuit against State Farm Insurance. She’s been in a legal battle with the company over damage to her home caused by the 2018 Woolsey fire. Shannen said in her GMA interview that she wanted to be in control of the narrative over her health, and that’s why she revealed her diagnosis.
While Shannen didn’t fully say in the GMA interview that she is dying, her legal paperwork made if clear that her cancer has become terminal. TMZ obtained the legal documents that read:”Plaintiff Shannen Doherty is dying of stage 4 terminal cancer.” Her attorney added she can’t live out “her remaining years peacefully in her home,” because the insurance company is still battling her over the costs to repair her house.
I wish you peace and strength on your journey @DohertyShannen You are an inspiration to so many
— Rose McGowan (@rosemcgowan) February 4, 2020
Shannen was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. In May 2016, she had a single mastectomy and underwent grueling chemotherapy and radiation treatments, which she documented on her Instagram. A year later she had breast reconstruction surgery. Shannen announced in April of 2017 that her cancer was finally in remission.
She told GMA‘s Amy Rohbach — herself a breast cancer survivor — that, “I don’t think that I’ve processed it.” She continued, “It’s a bitter pill to swallow. There are days when I say…why me? But then I go…well, why not me? Who else besides me deserves this? None of us do. I would say that my first reaction is always concern about how I’m going to tell my mom and my husband.”
She then revealed that she shot the entire BH90210 reboot knowing her cancer was back, and she only confided the news with co-star Brian Austin Green. Shannen also said that it was her former co-star Luke Perry‘s fatal stroke in March of 2019 that pushed her to join the reboot, despite being sick. “It was so weird for me to be diagnosed and then somebody who was seemingly healthy to go first,” she revealed. “It was really shocking. The least I could to do honor him was do that show.”
