Shannen Doherty, one of TV’s former charmed ones and the recent star of BH90210’s reunion series, announced this week that she has Stage 4 cancer. She broke the news after it was going to come out as part of a lawsuit she is currently involved in related to her insurance coverage following fire damage and she wanted people to know about her re-diagnosis from her personally. In a new interview, she revealed she was even dealing with cancer while working on BH90210.
The actress spoke with Good Morning America this week, noting that not only does she have Stage 4 cancer, this is not her first time fighting a battle with the disease. She was emotional throughout the interview, touching on a lot of the “why me” feelings a lot of people have after being diagnosed, but she says she didn’t want that to stop her from participating in BH90210 after Luke Perry’s death.
It was so weird for me to be diagnosed, somebody who was seemingly healthy to go first. It was really like shocking and the least I could do to honor [Luke Perry] was to do that show. I still haven’t done enough in my opinion.
Doherty touched on working 16-hour days on the Fox series, despite already having been diagnosed with cancer at that time. Shannen Doherty had been diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2015 and had been open about her treatment following her diagnosis. It also came up as part of an alleged feud with Rose McGowan that later seemed to be settled.
This time around, she didn’t want the news to come out via a lawsuit -- which was about to happen -- so she’s come forward and will be talking about her battle publicly.
In regards to continuing to work long TV hours after her diagnosis, Shannen Doherty did tell GMA that Luke Perry and his early death following a stroke was a factor in her decision to move forward with acting. However, she also said she felt like she wanted to prove that when you get cancer it’s not your only defining factor.
It’s a hard one. Because I thought, when I finally do come out I will have worked 16-hours a day and it will be a good – people can look at that and say, ‘Oh my god, she can work. Other people with Stage 4 can work too.’ Our life doesn’t end the minute we get that diagnoses; we still have some living to do.
Shannen Doherty credits her co-star Brian Austin Green with keeping her spirits up on the set of BH90210 and she’s continued to work since that series ended, taking gigs in Riverdale and the upcoming How To Make A Deal With The Devil. She also has formerly spoken out about only choosing to do the 90210 reboot after Perry's death previously, and you can see more of her comments in the article, below.
