Baywatch star reveals shock breast cancer diagnosis after mistaking symptoms for menopause
9 January 2024, 21:15 | Updated: 9 January 2024, 23:27
Baywatch star Nicole Eggert has revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer, after initially mistaking her symptoms for menopause.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The 51-year-old, who played Summer Quinn in the hit US TV series, said that she rapidly gained 25 pounds within three months, prompting her to seek medical advice.
The actress, who also played Jamie Powell on the situation comedy Charles in Charge, confirmed that she was diagnosed with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma in December last year.
The single mother-of-two said that upon hearing her diagnosis, her thoughts turned towards her two daughters Keegan, 12, and Dilyn, 25, fearing what their futures might look like without her.
Eggert said that while her eldest is an independent adult, her youngest is "a 12-year-old at home where I’m the only caregiver," adding that she has "no family. I have nothing”.
The star reported that she experienced "terrible pain" in her left breast in October, before her concern heightened after she discovered a lump during an examination.
Read more: Baywatch star divorces Earl of Devon after admitting she ‘underestimated’ life as an aristocrat
Speaking to People magazine, she said: “It really was throbbing and hurting. I immediately went to my general practitioner, and she told me I had to immediately go get it looked at.”
Eggert said that she could not get an appointment, finding that “everything was booked".
"I had to wait until the end of November to get it done," she said.
Eventually, after a mammogram and three biopsies, Eggert’s results came back positive for cancer.
Determined to battle the disease, she said that she realised "there's just no succumbing to this”, after seeing the look on her eldest’s face when she broke the devastating news.
Eggert added: "This is something I have to get through. This is something that I have to beat. She [her youngest] needs me more than anything and anybody."
One of her friends has started a GoFundMe page to help fund her treatment.
The actress said: "It's been a long time since Charles In Charge and Baywatch".
Nicole reflected that she has not had a “breezy sale through life”, adding that she was trying to stay positive.
She said: “I always read inspirational quotes and corny stuff, but it gets me through.”
