Cancer in any form is a scary health issue to face, but ovarian cancer can be a particularly tough one. Because early-stage ovarian cancer is often asymptomatic, studies have found that over 75 percent of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage — and even then, the symptoms (like abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge, pelvic pain, and bloating) apply to many different health conditions. That means it’s crucial to be aware of ovarian cancer risk factors, like being in middle age or older and having a family history of ovarian and breast cancer, in order to determine your own personal risk. In other words, simply talking and knowing about ovarian cancer is vitally important, which is why we’re bringing you a round-up of celebrities who’ve spoken out about their own ovarian cancer experience.
In the United States alone, it’s estimated that more than 19,000 people will receive a diagnosis of ovarian cancer this year, per the American Cancer Society. The ACS also estimates that about 1 in 78 women will get ovarian cancer in their lifetime, and the familiar (and famous) faces ahead are a few of them. These celebrities were diagnosed with ovarian cancer at a variety of ages, come from a multitude of backgrounds, and spoke out about their experiences to raise awareness, following in the footsteps of celebs like Gilda Radner and Coretta Scott King (who both ultimately passed away from the disease). Keep reading to learn about their diagnoses, journeys, and recoveries.
Cobie Smulders
How I Met Your Mother and Avengers star Cobie Smulders was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 25 — uncommon for a disease that frequently affects postmenopausal women. After getting the diagnosis, Smulders was most scared of losing her fertility. “I had a great fear of not being able to have kids,” she told People in 2018. “…[T]hat not being option, especially at such a young age — kids were very much not on my mind at 25, but I still wanted them one day — it was really hard and it was a really depressing thing to go through.”
As it turns out, Smulders was able to have children. The actress had two-thirds of her ovaries removed via surgery and later had two kids. She’s been in remission since and, after going through treatment privately, chose to speak publically about her battle in 2015.
Chris Evert
Chris Evert was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021. The former tennis pro had the same BRCA-1 variant as her sister, who died from the disease, so she scheduled a preventative hysterectomy. “But when my pathology report came back, my doctors and I were stunned to find that I had malignant cells and a tumor in my left fallopian tube,” Evert wrote on ESPN.com in January 2023. She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and went into remission, but announced in December 2023 that the cancer had returned.
“While this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I once again feel fortunate that it was caught early,” the tennis star, 68, said in a statement via ESPN. She explained that a PET CT scan revealed “cancer cells in the same pelvic region,” that the cells were removed, and that she’s begun another round of chemo. “I encourage everyone to know your family history and advocate for yourself,” Evert said. “Early detection saves lives.”
Marlyne Barrett
Starring in the NBC drama Chicago Med, Marlyne Barrett has had an interesting narrative with cancer: Her character, Maggie Lockwood, went through breast cancer on screen. Off camera, Barrett was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2022, which she revealed in an Instagram post, per USA Today. Barrett’s treatment plan includes chemotherapy and a hysterectomy.
“The best way I could experience was to meet it,” she told People. “There’s no running from it because it’s my life. And eventually you just surrender because it’s so much bigger than anything you’ve ever faced. I found this courage and I just hunkered down and said, ‘I’m going to face this.'”
Kathy Bates
Acclaimed actor Kathy Bates, who’s starred in projects as diverse as The Office, Annie, and American Horror Story, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003. She didn’t speak about her diagnosis and treatment publically until 2009, following advice from her doctors, she told Anderson Cooper in 2012. “I was contracted to go into a movie at that time… My doctors at the time, they had to get insurance approval and all of that so I was very quiet about it and had to go back to work right away.”
Bates added that there were also personal reasons for going through the journey in relative privacy. “Nobody else really knows what you’re going through except another cancer patient,” she said. “Even though your family’s supportive and surrounds you, I just got to the point where I would go to chemo by myself and just really go through it on my own.”
Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Wilson-Sampras, a former actress who starred in The Wedding Planner and Billy Madison, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December 2022, according to a statement from her husband and former tennis pro Pete Sampras. “This past year has been an exceptionally challenging time for my family, and I have decided to share what’s been going on,” Sampras said via the statement, which was released on the ATP Tour’s social media.
Wilson-Sampras, he said, “has had major surgery, pushed through chemotherapy and continues with targeted maintenance therapy” since the diagnosis. “It is hard to watch someone you love go through a challenge like this,” Sampras continued, adding that it was “amazing” to see the couple’s two sons (Christian, 20, and Ryan, 18), “step up and be such strong supporters.”
“Watching Bridgette continue to be an incredible mom and wife through it all has been inspiring,” Sampras said. “[I am] humbly asking for good thoughts and prayers for our family as Bridgette continues to thrive on her healing journey.”
Shannon Miller
A seven-time Olympic medalist, former gymnast Shannon Miller first dismissed her symptoms — which included a persistent stomachache, bloating, and fatigue — as normal parts of life. At a check-up in 2011, though, a doctor identified a cyst on her ovary during a check-up and later found it was cancerous. Miller underwent surgery and chemotherapy and is now cancer-free, according to an interview with GoodRx Health.
“I thought maybe it was my post-baby body — it was a little out of whack,” Miller said at a BlogHer Health event in 2018. “Maybe it was stress; maybe I ate something bad. It was so easy to find numerous reasons why this wasn’t a big deal, and I pushed all of these symptoms aside. I should have listened to my body… The fact is, we know our bodies better than anyone else; we just have to pay attention. We have to speak up when something isn’t right.”
Manisha Koirala
Bollywood star Manisha Koirala was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 but has been in remission since 2015. She had a family history of breast cancer, Koirala told India Today in 2014, and had experienced bad bloating and fatigue before getting diagnosed. “I thought that old age is finally catching up with me,” she said.
Koirala underwent surgery and chemotherapy in New York and has been cancer-free since 2013. She’s since used her platform to increase ovarian cancer awareness, including publishing a book about her experience.
Brandi Maxiell
Reality TV star Brandi Maxiell of The Basketball Wives LA was diagnosed with ovarian cancer young, at age 24. “I had all the classic symptoms of ovarian cancer – back pain, bloating, weight gain, abdominal pain, feeling full quickly after eating a couple of bites of food as well as the need to urinate urgently or often,” she wrote in Essence in 2014 “Now, what woman doesn’t have one or more of these symptoms during a regular menstrual cycle? That’s why ovarian cancer is called ‘the silent killer.'”
A doctor initially misdiagnosed Maxiell with back pain, but she sought a second opinion and learned she had ovarian cancer. She had surgery and chemotherapy and was cancer-free by 2009. After struggling with fertility issues due to the disease, Maxiell gave birth to a son in 2011.
Raelene Boyle
Retired Australian track athlete Raelene Boyle is currently in remission after being diagnosed with both breast cancer in 1996 and ovarian cancer in 2000 and 2001. Boyle recalled her decision to speak out about her experience with cancer in her memoir, per Australia Athletics, writing, “I began to understand that because of my public profile I could play a role in helping other women — and men — confront and overcome some of the hurdles placed in front of them when encountering cancer.” Boyle now works to raise money and awareness for cancer.
“I’m tired of the toll and the anguish and the grieving that cancer leaves in its wake,” she wrote. “And yet it is a battle I know I must face and fight every day for the rest of my life. More often I win. But there are hours, sometimes days, when I lose. The key, though, is never to surrender.”
Marcia Barrett
British singer Marcia Barrett of Boney M was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1995, according to Daily Express, a year after she first felt a sharp pain on her side. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy to treat the disease, working to maintain her natural positivity thorughout. “The chemo made me go bald but I was told that suited me,” she told Daily Express in 2008. Barrett also survived bouts of breast and spinal cancer.
Rosa DeLauro
Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has represented Connecticut’s 3rd district since 1991, seven years after she was declared free of ovarian cancer. Now a 36-year survivor, DeLauro has used her platform to raise awareness. “My cancer was detected in its earliest stages during an unrelated doctors visit,” she said in 2022, speaking as the chair of the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus. ” I consider myself lucky that it was caught and treated early, but so many women are not as fortunate. We must do all we can to raise awareness and increase early detection.”
Joyce Kulhawik
Former Boston TV news anchor and journalist Joyce Kulhawik is a three-time cancer survivor, having beaten ovarian cancer twice and melanoma once. In a 2018 interview with ovarian cancer foundation Tina’s Wish, Kulhawik recalled first feeling symptoms at age 35, when she started getting “chills, sweats and violent abdominal pains” while doing yoga. She was initially diagnosed with a pelvic infection but could tell something was still wrong. Doctors then diagnosed her with appendicitis, only to find “an almost ruptured tumor” on her ovary when they began surgery to remove her appendix.
Kulhawik was told she was out of danger after getting the tumor removed, but began experiencing extreme abdominal pain a year later. The ovarian cancer had returned, and Kulhawik ultimately underwent a hysterectomy and six months of chemotherapy.
Kulhawik’s advice? “Pay attention to any subtle symptoms,” she said. “As it turns out, I had over a year and a half of urinary tract infections that seemed completely inexplicable to me and my doctor. There were many times that I felt bloated but I just thought I was getting older and heavier. I did have some mild indigestion. You have to trust and listen to your body.”
Valisia LeKae
Tony award-winning actor and singer Valisia LeKae was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013, at age 34, after doctors removed a cyst from her ovary and found it to be cancerous. LeKae was forced to leave her role in Motown: The Musical to seek treatment, undergoing chemotherapy and surgery to remove her right ovary and fallopian tube.
“What I found — unexpectedly — after being diagnosed with cancer is that it’s been my greatest joy,” she she told Brain World in 2021. “Experiencing this… put me in a position where I can now walk through life with grace, mercy, and joy. I will be able to stand up to anything.” Now a spokesperson for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, LeKae is passionate about raising ovarian cancer awareness among young women and Black women.
Connie Needham
In 2009, Eight Is Enough star Connie Needham was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. “I was having a lot of bloating and I started having a little difficulty breathing to the point that I thought I had a lung infection,” she told Radar Online in 2010. She underwent a hysterectomy in order to treat the disease. “Pay close attention to your body,” Needham offered as advice, “and don’t assume things are normal.”
Joyce Wadler
New York Times contributor Joyce Wadler (pictured second from right) is a survivor of both ovarian and breast cancer. She was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 1995, at age 47, and has been in remission since 2000. Wadler has written extensively (and humorously) about the experience, including a book called Cured: My Ovarian Cancer Story.
Angela Winbush
R&B singer Angela Winbush was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 and sought surgery during her cancer battle. She’s been passionate about sharing her story, even asking that footage of her difficult treatment be included in a docu-series. For Winbush, who is now in remission, it all comes back to helping others. “For me, the only reason I think I’m alive is so I could save other lives,” she told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2010. “It’s about my life being spared so I can show people they can make it through a tough situation.”
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