BAYWATCH star Nicole Eggert has revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer at 51 years old.
In addition to Baywatch, Nicole was also an actress on the hit show Charles in Charge.
In an interview with People, she revealed that she was diagnosed in early December with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer.
She first noticed the symptoms after she gained 25 pounds in a three-month period.
Nicole was also experiencing a lot of pain in her left breast in October, and she found a lump during a self-exam.
“It really was throbbing and hurting. I immediately went to my general practitioner and she told me I had to immediately go get it looked at,” she said.
“But the problem was, I just couldn’t get an appointment. Everything was booked.
“So I had to wait until the end of November to get it done.”
Finally, she was able to get a mammogram and three biopsies on her breasts.
“This journey’s been rough for me,” Nicole said.
“This hasn’t been a breezy sale through life.”
However, she always tried to keep a positive outlook, saying: “I always read inspirational quotes and corny stuff, but it gets me through.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Nicole plans on having the cancer surgically removed.
Regarding the lump, she said: “I can definitely feel it. It’s there. It needs to be taken out.
“So it’s just a matter of do I have to do treatment before the surgery, or can they perform the surgery and then I do the treatment after.”
The actress isn’t quite sure what her next steps are because she doesn’t know if the cancer has spread.
“I have panics where I’m like, ‘just get this out of me,’” she said.
“You sit there and it’s in you and you’re like, every second that passes and it’s inside of me, it’s growing, and you’re just like, you just want it out.”
In the interview, Nicole said that she’s afraid of not being there for her children – Keegan, 12, and Dilyn, 25.
She said: “[Dilyn’s] an adult, but I have a 12-year-old at home where I’m the only caregiver. I have no family. I have nothing.
“It immediately made me realize, there’s just no succumbing to this. This is something I have to get through.
“This is something that I have to beat. She needs me more than anything and anybody.”
STARS’ PAIN
Another 90s star, Shannen Doherty, 52, has also been diagnosed with breast cancer and it spread to her bones.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum said she “doesn’t want to die” and hopes to get into clinical trials for new treatments.
She revealed eight years ago that she had Stage 4 breast cancer.
She opened up to People about her journey in a cover story.
“I don’t want to die,” Shannen 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. I’m just not — I’m not done.”
The actress discussed more about her diagnosis on her new memoir podcast, Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty, which dropped December 6 on iHeartRadio.
She also shared with People her hopes to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
“It’s insane to me [that] we still don’t have a cure,” the Charmed alum admitted.
