Thanking family members, doctors and others for their support, actress Shannen Doherty announced she has breast cancer.
The "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed" star revealed her March diagnosis in court documents before confirming the news to People in a statement published Wednesday.
"Yes, I have breast cancer, and I am currently undergoing treatment," Doherty, 44, told the magazine in an exclusive. "I am continuing to eat right, exercise and stay very positive about my life. I am thankful to my family, friends and doctors for their support and, of course, my fans who have stood by me."
Also on Wednesday, Doherty expressed thanks to more than 415,000 Twitter followers.
Doherty cited her condition in a lawsuit, claiming her former business partners at Tanner, Mainstain, Glynn & Johnson failed to pay insurance premiums, leading to a 2014 lapse in medical coverage that her legal team says could have prevented the spread of her cancer. Had doctors identified the cancer earlier, her legal team contends, she would have been more likely to avoid potential mastectomy and chemotherapy.
In a statement, Tanner Mainstain told multiple media outlets that while the business management firm was "saddened" to hear about Doherty's cancer, it did not prevent the actress from meeting with doctors, and called the claims that the firm contributed to her health decline "patently false." Tanner Mainstain added that it would "aggressively defend all of Ms. Doherty's claims in court."
Doherty first became a household name in 1990, when she played high-school student Brenda Walsh on Fox's "Beverly Hills, 90210." She's since appeared in a variety of TV shows ("Charmed") and movies ("Mallrats"), more recently co-hosting Great American Country channel's "Off the Map with Shannen and Holly" with her "Charmed" co-star Holly Marie Combs this year.
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