Shannen Doherty shares candid photos to show the ‘truth’ of cancer

The former Beverly Hills 90210 star said she wanted to help followers “cut thru the fear” of cancer

Shannen Doherty shares candid pictures of her cancer experiences (Shannen Doherty / @theshando / Instagram )

Shannen Doherty has posted candid pictures of her battle with stage 4 breast cancer on social media to show fans what the disease really looks like.

The former Beverly Hills 90210 star said she wanted to educate her followers so they would get check-ups and “cut thru the fear” of what may be in their future.

She posted the pictures on her Instagram account on Thursday, saying: “For breast cancer awareness month, I’d like to share more of my own personal journey from my first diagnosis to my second. Is it all pretty? NO but it’s truthful and my hope in sharing is that we all become more educated, more familiar with what cancer looks like.”

Ms Doherty added: “I hope I encourage people to get mammograms, to get regular checkups, to cut thru the fear and face whatever might be in front of you.”

The 50-year-old TV star was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015 before going into remission two years later. She announced in February 2020 that she was battling stage 4 breast cancer and has been posting regular updates about her condition since then. I

Her often-difficult and painful treatments have included a mastectomy, chemo and radiation. One of the pictures was a selfie of a pale-faced Ms Doherty in bed, having lost her hair, and with a blood-soaked tissue in one nostril.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ShannenDoherty (@theshando)

“I had many nose bleeds from the chemo,” wrote Ms Doherty in the picture’s caption, adding “Not sure if any of you experienced this. I also was beyond tired.”

She also posted a picture of herself in Cookie Monster pajamas that she said were a gift from a friend.

“I cheered myself up by putting on funny pajamas that my friend Kristy gave me. Did they actually cheer me up? Yes!! Lol. I looked ridiculous and in that ridiculousness, I was able to laugh at myself. Finding humor helped get me thru what seemed impossible. I hope we all find humor in the impossible” Ms Doherty explained.