Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis 3 Years After Finishing Treatment for Breast Cancer

Shannen Doherty has revealed that she is battling stage 4 cancer, nearly three years after announcing that she had gone into remission after her initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2015. The actress did not specify which disease she is currently fighting.

“It’s going to come out in a matter of days or a week that I have stage 4,” she shared in an interview with ABC News. “So my cancer came back and that’s why I’m here.”

“I don’t think that I’ve processed it,” Doherty told Amy Robach. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways. I definitely have days where I say, ‘Why me?’ And 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, my husband,” she added.

Doherty returned to film the reboot of Beverly Hills 90210 after both receiving her diagnosis and grappling with the death of co-star Luke Perry in March 2019.

“It was so weird for me to be diagnosed and then somebody who was seemingly healthy to go first,” an emotional Doherty said. “It was really shocking and the least I could do to honor him was do that show. I still haven’t done enough in my opinion.”

“It’s a hard one because I thought when I finally do come out I would have worked and worked 16 hours a day and people can look at that and say, ‘Oh my God, she can work and other people with stage 4 can work,’” she continued. “Our life doesn’t end the minute we get that diagnosis. We still have some living to do.”

Doherty explained that she decided to make her diagnosis public due to the fact that legal documents that mention her cancer will soon be made public as a result of her current lawsuit against State Farm.

“I’d rather people hear it from me,” she said. “I don’t want it to be twisted; I don’t want it to be a court document. I want it to be real and authentic and I want to control the narrative. I want people to know from me.”

The 48-year-old is suing the company over damage to her California home in the 2018 Woolsey Fire and claims she was forced to pay out of pocket for losses she believes should have been covered by her insurance policy.

“We empathize with Ms. Doherty’s health issues and wish her a full recovery,” State Farm said in a statement to ABC News. “We strongly believe we have upheld our commitment to our customer and have paid what we owe not his claim.”

Doherty shared that she hopes her lawsuit can inspire others.

“I want to make an impact,” she said “I can make that impact through this lawsuit and by saying enough is enough with big business and corporations running the little person over. It’s not fair and I’m taking a stand for all of us. I want to be remembered for something bigger than just me.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Earl Gibson III