Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — Shannen Doherty opened up about her battle against stage IV breast cancer in a revealing interview with friend Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Hosted by Entertainment Tonight, the two actresses discussed a variety of topics, ranging from their greatest fears to the doldrums of quarantine at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Doherty, whose greatest fear is the ground squirrels destroying her garden, revealed that she’s been heartened by her fans’ words of comfort.
“I love it when people say, ‘we’re praying for you,’ and everything else, but there comes a point when you’re like, ‘I got this. I’m fine. I’m good,'” the Charmed alum revealed. “There are a lot of people in the world who could use prayers.”
Gellar smirked that Doherty can “lap me at an exercise class,” which was high praise coming from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star.
Doherty was diagnosed with cancer just before the nation went into lockdown, which presented some obvious challenges. The actress resisted going in for her monthly blood panels because “I didn’t want to to be exposed.”
The Beverly Hills: 90210 alum then issued a passionate message, “I understand that you’re annoyed that you have to wear a mask, but let’s think about the people” who are immunocompromised.
On a lighter note, Doherty gushed about her long lasting friendship with Gellar, saying, “It’s so nice for me to have a female friend that feels no threat, no jealousy. We have never felt that with each other. We’ve done nothing but lift each other up and support each other in our careers and champion one another.”
Gellar agreed, adding, “”In this industry, where women are so often pitted against each other and it’s not about supporting other women, to have someone that I know loves me for me… I’m very lucky.”
By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.