Sarah Michelle Gellar Gives Update on Shannen Doherty’s Cancer Battle

Sarah Michelle Gellar recently spoke about her good friend Shannen Doherty and offered fans an update on the actress’s cancer battle. During a conversation with Access Hollywood, Gellar was asked about Doherty and she replied, “She’s incredible…When they say warrior, she is a warrior. She lives every day and she’s fighting…there’s ups and downs right.” Gellar then added, “There are days that are harder than others and there are some days that are easy but, she’s doing great.”

Gellar’s comments echo what Doherty’s former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Brian Austin Green said in September when asked about his former castmate. Speaking to the Herald Sun, Green shared, “She’s an incredibly tough person. If there’s anyone who could put up a real fight to cancer – she’s one of them.” He added, “It’s not an easy situation, obviously, but I love her to death.”

Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2015, but after treatments and surgery, she announced in 2017 that her cancer was in remission. In February 2020 she revealed that her cancer had returned. Regarding how she’d been coping with the news that it returned, Doherty said at the time, “I definitely have days where I say ‘Why me.’ And then I go, ‘Well, why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this?’ None of us do. But I would say that my first reaction is always concern about how — how am I going to tell my mom, my husband.”

Earlier this year, Doherty revealed the tragic update that her cancer had spread. In an Instagram post, she shared a video of her treatment, which required that she wear a special medical mask. In the post caption, Doherty explained the process and clarified that it was necessary due to the cancer spreading. “Yesterdays video was showing the process of getting fitted for the mask which you wear during radiation to your brain. January 12, the first round of radiation took place.”

She went on to add, “My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life. I am fortunate as I have great doctors like Dr Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at cedar sinai. But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like.”