Cheryl Ladd Reveals How Jaclyn Smith Supported Her Through Secret Breast Cancer Battle
What To Know
- Cheryl Ladd revealed at PaleyFest that she secretly battled an aggressive form of breast cancer.
- Fellow Charlie’s Angels star Jaclyn Smith, herself a breast cancer survivor, supported Ladd.
- Both Ladd and Smith emphasized the importance of early detection.
During the PaleyFest 50th anniversary celebration of the ’70s era-defining Charlie’s Angels, Cheryl Ladd, who starred as Kris Munroe, made a startling confession to the audience as she opened up about her recent battle with breast cancer.
Appearing with fellow Angels Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Ladd spoke openly about her illness, the treatment, and the hardships she endured, detailing the emotional and physical toll it took while also expressing gratitude for early detection.
“Mine was an aggressive form,” Ladd said during PaleyFest, per USA Today. “I had wonderful doctors. But I was bald for quite a while. It was a humbling experience.”
Like a good Angel, Smith jumped in to support her, even sending Ladd her own wigs. “The first thing I did was send her my wigs,” Smith said, also a breast cancer survivor. “She was so brave. She did have a very aggressive form [of cancer].”
Smith, who is also a cancer survivor, underwent a lumpectomy as well as radiation treatment after a routine mammogram detected her breast cancer in 2002. “Early detection is the key,” Smith told the audience. “Every minute is important.”
In addition to her friends Smith and Jackson, who helped her during her illness, Ladd thanked her husband, music producer Brian Russell, for his support during the difficult time. “I have a wonderful husband. All through it, he was there for me at every turn, and that makes a difference,” Ladd said about Russell, whom she has been married to since 1995. “Eventually, I started to get little sprouts of hair. It was like, ‘Oh, I’m getting hair!’ It was a long, long, hard road. But you just get through. You just get on with it.”
The Angels left the audience with a message about early detection and the importance of getting checked. “If you find a little something in either of your breasts, don’t ignore it,” Ladd said. “It might be nothing. But go quickly and find out for yourself.”
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