Cheryl Ladd is speaking publicly about her breast cancer diagnosis for the first time.
The actor appeared Monday at PaleyFest in Los Angeles to honor the 50th anniversary of the classic TV series “Charlie’s Angels” with former co-stars Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith.
Speaking at a panel during the event, Ladd said she’d been diagnosed with “an aggressive form” of breast cancer. Though she did not offer a timeline for her diagnosis, she went on to reveal she’d gone “bald” while undergoing chemotherapy, per People.
“Charlie’s Angels” stars Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd appeared at PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of their classic series. Earl Gibson III via Getty Images
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“It’s a humbling experience, and yet I had wonderful doctors and a wonderful husband who helped me fight all through it,” the 74-year-old explained. “Eventually, I started to get little sprouts of hair. It was a long, long, hard road, but you just get on with it.”
A segment on NBC’s “Today” that aired Tuesday pointed out that Jackson, 77, and Smith, 80, are also breast cancer survivors. Actor Farrah Fawcett, who appeared on the premiere season of “Charlie’s Angels” before Ladd joined the cast in Season 2, died of anal cancer in 2009 at age 62.
Jackson, Smith and Ladd on a 1977 episode of “Charlie’s Angels.” ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images
“It just connects you because you know what they’re going through,” Smith said. “And that’s when I talk about the power of girlfriends.”
Elsewhere during the PaleyFest panel, Jackson emphasized the importance of early cancer detection.
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“It’s really important to understand and embrace not being afraid of getting a mammogram,” she said, per Variety. “Early detection is key. Find it early enough and you’ll probably be all right.”
Since “Charlie’s Angels” wrapped its five-season run in 1981, Ladd has continued to act regularly. In 2016, she appeared in “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” as Linell Shapiro, the wife of defense attorney Robert Shapiro (played by John Travolta), and in 2022, she was a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.” She’s also starred in a number of made-for-television films, including “A Christmas for the Ages” and “The Christmas Contract.”
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