'90210' star Shannen Doherty gets candid on breast cancer battle: 'I’m lucky to be alive'
Shannen Doherty's battle with cancer impacted her body image, her outlook on life and her marriage.
Though she's in remission now, the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star opened up to People about life after treatment.
“I don’t think you’re ever on the other side (of cancer),” the 48-year-old said. “I don’t think about the fact that I’m in remission. I look at it like I’m lucky to be alive every minute, every second of the day.”
Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She finished her cancer treatments in 2017.
According to Doherty, cancer "solidified" her bond with producer husband Kurt Iswarienko.
“Kurt and I have a much deeper appreciation for each other now," she told People. “We don’t let a night go by mad at each other. The last time we had a big argument was pre-cancer.”
Iswarienko also had a hand in helping his famous wife accept her body post-cancer.
'BH 90210': Shannen Doherty wouldn't have done new series if she was the villain
“I don’t have to be a sexy little vixen,” she said. “How Kurt sees me really helps me be a better person. He was always like, ‘I’ve never seen someone handle something so difficult with so much grace. You’re so strong.’ And I figured out, it’s a quiet strength. And that is far sexier and appealing than I had before.”
More: Shannen Doherty fears having kids after breast cancer: 'Am I going to last five years?'
Though she has announced she's "healthy" now, Doherty said cancer changes the body forever.
“I really took good care of myself, and I came out of it in as good of condition I think somebody (in my situation) could be in,” she said. “But the funny thing with cancer is that once you’re no longer on chemo or radiation, people think you’re fine, that you bounce back. But what they don’t realize is that your body has been through something so incredibly difficult that your body never fully bounces back.”
More: Shannen Doherty fears having kids after breast cancer: 'Am I going to last five years?'
The demanding schedule of filming "BH90210," the reboot of her '90s series, "has taken a toll," Doherty told People.
Doherty previously told USA TODAY at the Television Critics Association it's impossible to "face something like cancer and not be a different person."
"Not that I was that person to begin with," she continued. "It just allowed me to maybe take down my walls a little bit to maybe show the softer side of who I am, but there’s none of that in the new ‘90210.’ "
More: Shannen Doherty completes cancer treatment
Contributing: Kelly Lawler
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: '90210': Shannen Doherty on how cancer changed marriage, body image
