Nicole Eggert has shared some positive news amid her brave battle with breast cancer while revealing how difficult it’s been to look at “death in the face.”
While promoting A&E’s new “Secrets of Celebrity Sex Tapes” docuseries, the former “Baywatch” star revealed that she feels “really good” after undergoing her second breast cancer surgery since being diagnosed back in December 2023.
“I just had my second mastectomy, and I had reconstruction, and my pathology reports came back clear,” Eggert, 53, exclusively told The Post. “I get to wear really small bras, and I’m really happy with my boobs.”
“It’s funny, it’s all of those things, because you’re dealing with boobs all day, every day, all day long, and you’re like, I don’t really care, I just want them to be healthy,” she continued. “So my doctor was amazing, and he left me with the cutest little boobs, and I’m healthy, and all my reports are clear.”
Although the “Charles in Charge” alum was first diagnosed with Stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer nearly two years ago, she didn’t reveal her diagnosis to the world until January 2024.
Since then, the actress has been very public about her cancer journey.
Besides discussing her battle openly in interviews and on her “Perfectly Twisted” podcast, Eggert has regularly chronicled her journey on Instagram.
The “Baywatch” alum, who starred on the hit show for two seasons from 1992 to 1994, said that she discusses her story to help others going through the same startling experience.
“I wanted to share my journey publicly because I felt that if I was so scared and I was so alone, that obviously other people were too,” Eggert explained.
“So let’s make this a happy place,” she added. “Let’s make this a place where we can talk about things, and nobody else has to know, and we don’t have to feel scared; we can feel empowered.”
However, the pop culture icon’s cancer struggle has not been without its challenges, and Eggert revealed one thing that scared her the most when her diagnosis was at its worst.
“I think looking at death is a really hard thing to do, and I never thought that I would be doing that,” she told The Post. “But to look at death in the face and go: Oh, this is a thing, and now I have to get everything in order, and I have to tell my kids, and all this.”
But, Eggert clarified, the frightening experience was not without its silver lining.
“Then once you get through that, I think that there’s something really beautiful on the other side of that,” she said. “I think that was the most important thing I took away from it. Enjoy your life. Get at it. Quit being afraid, quit living in fear, and live to the fullest every day, all the time.”
Eggert’s public breast cancer journey has already started to make a difference, because fans who may have once stopped to ask about her acting career are now stopping to talk about her recovery.
“What’s wild is that more people are approaching me because they understand my cancer journey,” she said. “They really give me a lot of encouragement, which I find amazing and fascinating, and I’m so thankful for that, because you could recognize me from ‘Charles in Charge’ or ‘Baywatch’ or whatever.”
“But that’s not me. That’s not who I am,” Eggert continued. “My cancer journey is who I am, and so when they say, ‘Oh, I’ve watched this,’ or ‘I’m following you [on Instagram],’ that really hits home for me, because it’s important and it’s everything that I am.”
Since Eggert’s diagnosis, her acting career has largely been put on hold.
Besides focusing on her recovery and spending time with her two daughters, Dilyn and Keegan, the “Blown Away” star has dedicated her time to Mission Plasticos, a nonprofit that provides free reconstructive surgery to low and middle-income families around the world.
However, she did not rule out a return to the small screen once her breast cancer battle is in the rearview mirror and she is fully recovered.
“Right now, I’ve been so focused on Mission Plasticos,” she explained. “I’m really helping them get everything done, and I’m recovering. I just had surgery two weeks ago, so I am just focused on getting better.”
“Then I’ll have something to talk about,” Eggert concluded.
