‘Survivor 50’ Star Chrissy Hofbeck’s Health Issues: Her Cancer Scare & More

Nearly 10 years after Chrissy Hofbeck first competed on Survivor during Season 35, where she finished as the runner-up, the mom of four is back in Survivor 50. With many fans feeling like Hofbeck deserved to win her original season against Ben Driebergen, this go-around is a major redemption moment for her.

Even more so, though, because Hofbeck dealt with some health struggles between her Survivor seasons. A cancer scare led her to have a major surgery in 2023.

Scroll down to learn more about what Hofbeck was diagnosed with, the surgery she had, and more.

What was Chrissy Hofbeck diagnosed with?

In 2022, Hofbeck learned that she is a carrier of the BRCA mutation, “which in my case leaves me 85% likely to develop breast cancer and 25% likely to develop ovarian cancer,” she revealed in a January 2023 Instagram post.

“When you have this mutation, it means that you’re more likely to get certain cancers,” she told Parade. “And in my case, it was breast cancer, ovarian cancer, also pancreatic and skin cancer.”

What surgery did Chrissy Hofbeck have?

In 2023, Hofbeck had a double mastectomy and also had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. “After countless tests, consults with specialists, lots of research and deep thought, I’ve decided that I don’t want to live the rest of my life in fear, wondering if today is the day that cancer takes hold. So I’m undergoing prophylactic risk-reduction,” she explained in her Instagram post.

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A post shared by Chrissy Hofbeck (@chrissy.hofbeck)

The mastectomy was first in January 2023, followed by the process of reconstructing her breasts. The oophorectomy (ovary removal) and salpingectomy (fallopian tube removal) followed that April, along with her second breast reconstruction procedure.

The preemptive surgery was the right move, as Hofbeck later “found out she had developed a tumor,” according to Parade.

In October 2023, Hofbeck went under the knife again to fix one of her armpits that had “caved in” after the mastectomy. Her doctor “removed fat from my thighs & moved it into my armpit to fill out the abyss,” she revealed.

How is Chrissy Hofbeck doing now?

“I feel great! I feel great after all my surgeries,” Hofbeck told Parade in an interview before filming Survivor 50.

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She also revealed in February 2023 that she was back at work just nine days after her mastectomy, although she noted at the time that she was having “good days and bad days” during her recovery.

Survivor, Season 50, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS