Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, successfully underwent breast cancer surgery after recently receiving a diagnosis during a routine doctor’s visit.
Ferguson, who is famously known as “Fergie,” nearly skipped her scheduled mammogram only to find out she had an “early form” of the disease and required immediate medical attention.
Her plight with cancer is a familiar health concern in Hollywood, and Ferguson joins a few stars who have struggled or continue to fight against a cancer diagnosis.
Sharon Osbourne, Dolph Lundgren and Shannen Doherty have also each been candid about their journeys with cancer.
DUCHESS SARAH FERGUSON ALMOST SKIPPED DOCTOR VISIT THAT LED TO CANCER DIAGNOSIS: ‘GO GET SCREENED’
Sarah Ferguson, Dolph Lundgren and Shannen Doherty are just a few voices highlighting cancer battles. (Getty Images)
Shannen Doherty
The “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
In addition, Doherty had a single mastectomy before entering remission in 2017. One year later, she revealed that some tests came back better than others and a tumor marker had “elevated” levels.
She still remained optimistic about her health.
“But even after that call, I’m staying positive and taking stock of my life,” she said on Instagram at the time. “It certainly helps put things in perspective and reminds you of what you learned through the cancer journey. And I sometimes, need a refresher.”
SHANNEN DOHERTY, ‘90210’ STAR, REVEALS CANCER HAS SPREAD TO HER BRAIN IN EMOTIONAL VIDEO
Shannen Doherty has remained candid about her cancer journey. (Neilson Barnard)
The “Charmed” star underwent brain surgery in January to remove a tumor. (Tibrina Hobson)
The “Charmed” star’s cancer was back in 2020 and had elevated into stage 4.
Doherty revealed this month that her cancer had spread to her brain this year. In an emotional video shared online, the “Heathers” actress endured a CT scan in which doctors found metastases on her brain.
She shared another clip taken from January as she prepared for surgery and said, “I had a tumor in my head they wanted to remove and also biopsy. I am clearly trying to be brave, but I am petrified.”
Doherty added, “The fear was overwhelming to me. Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like.”
The fear was overwhelming to me. Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like.”
Dolph Lundgren
“Rocky IV” star Dolph Lundgren kept his cancer struggle a secret for eight years after doctors successfully removed a tumor on his kidney in 2015.
“Then I did scans every six months. Then you do it every year, and it was fine, you know, for five years,” Lundgren said in an interview on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger.”
He recalled feeling “some kind of acid reflux” while in Sweden in 2020, which prompted a medical visit.
“I did an MRI, and they found there were a few more tumors around the area,” he said.
DOLPH LUNDGREN REVEALS SECRET 8 YEAR CANCER BATTLE, HOW SECOND OPINION SAVED HIS LIFE
Dolph Lundgren kept his cancer battle a secret. (David Livingston)
Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone famously fought in “Rocky IV.” (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis)
Six additional tumors were removed during the surgery in 2021, with one more tumor that had grown into the “size of a lemon” in his liver. Doctors were unable to remove the growth.
The “Masters of the Universe” actor was prepared for the worst and was advised to “spend more time with family.”
“So, I kind of asked him, ‘How long do you think I’ve got left?’ And I think he said two or three years, but I could tell in his voice that he probably thought it was less,” Lundgren said.
He wasn’t bitter about the diagnosis and believed he had lived a “frickin’ great life,” but he decided to pursue a second opinion with another oncologist who discovered a mutation in one of his growths.
“So, I kind of asked him, ‘How long do you think I’ve got left?’ And I think he said two or three years, but I could tell in his voice that he probably thought it was less.”
Lundgren pursued a different treatment plan: “Within three months, things were shrinking by 20 to 30%.”
His tumors had shrunk by nearly 90% by the end of 2022 and was able to surgically remove the remaining scar tissue.
Toby Keith
Toby Keith is hoping to be on the “road again soon” after spending the better part of the year in treatment for cancer.
The 61-year-old country musician is “feeling good” amid his stomach cancer battle.
Keith’s representatives told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he’s “feeling good” and they “are anticipating Toby will be on the road again soon” after more than a year hiatus from the stage.
TOBY KEITH IS ‘FEELING GOOD’ AMID STOMACH CANCER BATTLE AND HOPING TO ‘BE ON THE ROAD AGAIN SOON’
“All of this is good news,” his reps added.
The “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” singer revealed a stomach cancer diagnosis nearly one year ago after secretly battling the disease for six months.
Toby Keith wants to get back out on the road and perform after battling stomach cancer. (Matt Winkelmeyer)
Toby Keith revealed his diagnosis in June 2022. (Jason Kempin)
“Basically, everything is in a real positive trend,” he told The Oklahoman earlier this month. “You never know with cancer, so you have to prepare.”
The “Red Solo Cup” singer thinks he has the schedule and stamina to perform again, too.
“I’ve got more wind,” he told the outlet. “And I’m thinking about bringing the band in and setting up, playing two or three days somewhere just to see if I can get through two hours.”
He added, “All I gotta do is see if I can get through two or three nights of work and get a little break in this chemo, and we’ll go back to work.”
“All I gotta do is see if I can get through two or three nights of work and get a little break in this chemo, and we’ll go back to work.”
In June 2022, Keith revealed he had been secretly battling stomach cancer for six months. “I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.”
“All I gotta do is see if I can get through two or three nights of work and get a little break in this chemo, and we’ll go back to work.”
He added: “I am looking forward to spending this time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait.”
Keith is a longtime advocate for families facing cancer diagnoses, and established the Toby Keith Foundation in 2006 “to encourage the health and happiness of pediatric cancer patients.”
He recently celebrated his 19th annual “Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic,” which raised a record-breaking 1.8 million.
The matriarch of the Osbourne family, Sharon Osbourne, was 49 years old when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2002.
She allowed MTV cameras to document her road to recovery after surgery to remove more than one foot of her large intestine. At the time, Sharon had finished filming the first season of a reality television project where crews followed Ozzy, Jack, Kelly and Sharon in “The Osbournes.”
Sharon told People magazine at the time, “Why’d they have to find it in my bum, of all places? It’s embarrassing. I mean, why couldn’t I have had a cute heart-shaped polyp on my vagina?”
Days after her surgery, tests revealed the cancer had likely spread.
Sharon Osbourne was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002. (Rodin Eckenroth)
The Osbournes became a household name in the early 2000s when MTV shined a light into their lives as famous stars — and the children of rock royalty — with an unscripted show about the family. The series premiered in 2002 and ran for four seasons, with a final curtain call in 2005. (Dave Hogan)
Her husband of 40 years was less enthusiastic: “He was hysterical, just terrified. The doctor had to come over and sedate him,” she recalled.
When it came down to treatment – months of chemotherapy filmed for the show – Sharon kept her spirits high.
“Why’d they have to find it in my bum, of all places? It’s embarrassing. I mean, why couldn’t I have had a cute heart-shaped polyp on my vagina?”
“We need to get a different vibe going,” she said of the treatment center. “I think I’ll bring some music, introduce myself, maybe we can sing some songs and cheer the place up.”
Years later, Sharon elected to have a double mastectomy after learning she carries a gene that increases the risk of developing breast cancer.
She told Hello! magazine, “I didn’t want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me.”
Jeff Bridges
“The Big Lebowski” actor was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was on a government-mandated break from filming the FX series “The Old Man.”
“I was doing some exercises while on the ground and felt what seemed like a bone in my stomach,” he told AARP magazine. “I thought to myself, ‘Hmmm.’ But it didn’t hurt or anything. I asked Sue what she thought. She said, ‘I don’t know, but you’ve got to get it checked out.'”
JEFF BRIDGES REVEALS TUMOR HAS SHRUNK, SAYS ‘CANCER WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO COVID’
Bridges was reluctant to see a doctor and continued with physical activities as he wasn’t in a lot of pain.
Jeff Bridges recently revealed his cancer diagnosis. (Jeff Bridges)
Bridges credited his wife, Susan Geston, for helping him recover from a near-fatal COVID battle post-cancer. (Emma McIntyre)
“I’m hiking and feeling great. My shins really itch, and I think, ‘Oh, I just got, you know, dry skin.’ Then I had night sweats but thought, ‘That’s just hot summer nights.’ It turns out those are lymphoma symptoms,” he said.
“I was doing those fight scenes for the first episode of ‘The Old Man’ and didn’t know that I had a 9-by-12-inch tumor in my body. You’d think that would have hurt or something when they were punching me and stuff. It didn’t.”
After chemotherapy, Bridges faced another battle – contracting COVID-19.
“I was doing those fight scenes for the first episode of ‘The Old Man’ and didn’t know that I had a 9-by-12-inch tumor in my body.”
Due to his weakened immune system, Bridges was hospitalized for five weeks. The Oscar-winner said “cancer was nothing compared to COVID.”
“My wife, Sue, was my absolute champion,” he said. “She really fought to keep me off a ventilator. I didn’t want to be on it, and the doctors didn’t necessarily want that. But Sue was adamant.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
“Seinfeld” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus disclosed her stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis six years ago and admitted that it was her friends and family that gave her strength to keep going during difficult times.
“You hear it all the time, but the people that I relied on the most, besides the very capable doctors and nurses who took care of me, were my family and my close friends,” she told People magazine at the time.
Louis-Dreyfus underwent a double mastectomy and also endured six rounds of chemotherapy before revealing she was cancer-free and returned to work in 2018.
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS REVEALS HOW SUPPORT SYSTEM HELPED HER POWER THROUGH HARROWING CANCER BATTLE
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2017. (Randy Holmes)
Louis-Dreyfus was in awe of the support she received from her husband, Brad Hall, and their sons, Henry and Charlie. (Randy Shropshire)
“I was surrounded by people who were supporting me,” she said. “That was hugely meaningful, and I needed it. It helped me to believe I was going to get through.”
Her husband, Brad Hall, and sons Henry and Charlie, were constantly by her side.
“I got diagnosed with cancer, and I powered through it, and I came out the other side. I’m grateful for all of it.”
“It was like they had their hands underneath me holding me up,” the “Veep” star said.
“I think whenever a family goes through a crisis and comes out the other end, you’re bound to have an intimacy that, perhaps, wasn’t quite there like it was before. I mean, we were very close before, but I know how precious life is.”
She added, “I got diagnosed with cancer, and I powered through it, and I came out the other side. I’m grateful for all of it.”
Sarah Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson announced her cancer diagnosis on Sunday.
“Sarah, Duchess of York was recently diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer detected at a routine mammogram screening,” Ferguson’s representatives confirmed with Fox News Digital.
Ferguson, who has daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice with ex-husband Prince Andrew, had no symptoms prior to the diagnosis.
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“She was advised she needed to undergo surgery, which has taken place successfully.”
Sarah Ferguson reveals breast cancer diagnosis. (David M. Benett)
Sarah Ferguson has daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice with ex-husband Prince Andrew. (Max Mumby via Getty Images)
Her rep added, “The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good. She is now recuperating with her family.
“I am telling people out there because I want every single person that is listening to this podcast to go get checked, go get screened and go do it.”
Fergie detailed in a pre-recorded episode of her “Tea Talks with the Duchess & Sarah” podcast that she wanted to skip the appointment because it was “easy to put it off.”
“My sister, who’s wonderful from Australia, I always normally do what she says because she gets so cranky,” Ferguson recalled. “She said, ‘No, go. I need you to go. I need you to go.’”
Ferguson also referenced her father, who died of prostate cancer, and urged everyone to go get screened.
“I don’t mind if no one wants to hear from me,” she said. “Because I’m telling you that I am doing this. I am telling people out there because I want every single person that is listening to this podcast to go get checked, go get screened and go do it.”
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