Shannen Doherty says she was “written off” when she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.
The ‘Charmed’ star revealed last year her breast cancer had returned as stage four after previously entering remission in 2017.
And she has now said people believed she had passed her peak when she revealed her diagnosis, even though she is “a better actor” than ever before thanks to the new “wealth of emotions” she can tap into.
She said: “People with stage four get written off immediately. They get written off by insurance companies, they get written off by doctors, they get written off by your boss — and in truth, I think when you have something like this happen to you, you're probably an even harder worker than you ever were. And for me, as an actor, I now have such a wealth of emotions to dig in and tap into for my acting.
"So, I think I'm a better actor than I ever was, and by myself working, yes, it's helping me for sure. But it's also sort of putting out there, hey, don't write us off. We're still vibrant, we're still out there and we want to be a part of the workforce."
Shannen, 50, also said the idea of treating cancer patients as though they can’t work is even more damaging to people who need their pay cheque to survive.
She added: "Many people with stage four have families that depend on them and need the pay cheque.
“So all of a sudden, to say, hey, this person has stage four so they can't work anymore, you're taking away a livelihood. Stage four people have a hell of a lot of life in them."
The ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ star has learned to “plan for tomorrow” more than ever before following her diagnosis.
Speaking on the ‘Kelly Clarkson Show’, she said: "You know, what I hear a lot is people saying, 'God, you just seize the day, you live for today,' and I'm actually the opposite. I'm very much like a planner for tomorrow now, whereas I don't think I was before.
“Now, I'm very focused on the future and doing yes, everything that I can now, but I don't live as if today is my last day, or tomorrow could be my last day.”
