However, the 52-year-old—who revealed in November that she’s open to dating again—noted it’s not just the cancer that has affected her overall perception of herself.
“Getting older, all of it impacts not just, your exterior,” she said. “But it’s also impacting the whole way that your body is reacting and responding. And then you add to that cancer meds, you add to that chemo or and it just zaps you of everything and it takes your confidence. It takes away your identity.”
The actress, who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2019 after a period of remission, shared last year that the disease had spread to her brains and bones. But fortunately, she and her doctor recently explained they were seeing tremendous results from her latest round of treatment.
“After the sixth, seventh treatment we really saw it breaking down the blood brain barrier,” she shared on the Jan. 28 episode of her podcast. “For me, that happens to be a miracle right now.”
Keep reading for a closer look at Shannen’s life in the spotlight: