If you were battling cancer, would you want to talk about it? Sure, it's in our nature to get these things off our chests. However, it's also a sad, anxiety-inducing experience. Sometimes, privacy is just the best way to go. That seems to be the case for 73 year old actress Anjelica Huston, who kept her cancer diagnosis private for roughly six years. Now, she finally feels like she's in a place to talk about it now that she's on the other side.
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Recently, Huston spoke with PEOPLE about her first ever bout with cancer. Doctors give her the sad diagnosis around the release of her 2019 film John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. "That was a very serious moment for me. I managed to survive it, and I'm proud of myself," Anjelica says. "It's not something that came lightly. It came as a big shock, but it made me conscious of what I shouldn't do, of places I shouldn't go. One of those places was taking life too seriously. So now when the opportunity arises, I laugh, and I try not to make a big deal out of things."
Anjelica Huston Opens Up About Her Private Battle With Cancer
Thankfully, Huston is on the other side of it now, "at the four-year mark" as she puts it. She remains consistent about getting her scans to ensure nothing else comes up. Similar to her instinct to keep her battle private, her celebration was a quiet one too. Anjelica simply spent time in her garden and took in the smell of her roses, a reminder to enjoy the smaller things in life.
Ultimately, she hopes that her example could uplift others who feel down about their own health woes. "Sometimes you feel like you don't want to talk about it for the obvious reasons, but there's a lot to be said for talking about it and getting it out there and celebrating the fact that one's come through," Anjelica emphasizes. "Life is tenuous and wonderful. It also gives you the idea that the world is big and you can somehow match up to it. That you're ready for whatever happens."
