Shannen Doherty has been open about her ongoing battle with breast cancer, emotionally revealing that her cancer was terminal back in November and recently even opening up about funeral plans.
Many of her former colleagues and friends have shown their support, one of them being Jason Priestley, her co-star on Beverly Hills, 90210, from 1990-1994.
The actor, 54, opened up to Access Hollywood about his former co-worker and friend, 52, and how "brave" she was to not only tell her own story, but also empower others along the way.
"It's horrible for her, what she's been going through. And she's been going through it now for eight years," he said. "It's a great testament to how strong of a fighter she is. She's a very strong-willed young lady."
He continued: "When you have a platform to be able to deliver any sort of inspirational message to people, I think it's important and I think it's really awesome that Shannen is opening up about everything."
Jason also confirmed that he and Shannen kept in touch after playing twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh for four years on the hit Fox drama. Shannen left after the fourth season, while Jason remained on the show as a regular cast member till season nine, and then made guest appearances on the tenth and final season.
© Getty ImagesIn a recent episode of her podcast Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty, she opened up about her funeral plans, specifically talking about who she did not want there, saying: "There's a lot of people that I think would show up that I don't want there."
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She explained that she didn't want the space to be for people who didn't genuinely care about her, adding "I don't want people to be crying or people to privately be like, 'Thank God that [expletive] is dead now."
© Getty ImagesThe Charmed star first revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2015, and after undergoing a round of chemotherapy, announced in 2017 that her cancer was in remission.
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However, in 2020, she shared that her cancer had returned a year prior and had progressed to stage four, adding in late 2023 that the disease had spread to her brain and bones and was terminal.
© Instagram"I don't want to die," she told People in November. "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."
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She affirmed, however, that despite her diagnosis, she was going to continue working and creating more content that she was proud of, adding that she was ready to "embrace life." "People just assume that it means you can't walk, you can't eat, you can't work.
© Getty Images"They put you out to pasture at a very early age – 'You're done, you're retired,' and we're not. We're vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and keep moving forward."
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