Fran Drescher Surprisingly Says Her Uterine Cancer Diagnosis Was an ‘Opportunity’
There are some actors who will forever be linked to a particular character in their career. For some, Ashton Kutcher will always be Michael Kelso from That 70’s Show. Sarah Michelle Gellar will always be Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Macaulay Culkin will always be that kid from Home Alone.
Then there’s Fran Drescher. To many, Drescher and Fran Fine are one and the same. Drescher embodied The Nanny so well that it’s hard to look at the actress without immediately stepping back into the Sheffield house.
Recently, the 62-year-old star sat down with People to discuss some of the time times where things didn’t necessarily go as planned. One surprising revelation that came from the interview — the actress shared how her uterine cancer diagnosis actually turned out to be an opportunity.
Fran Drescher is ‘The Nanny’
Who can really sit down and watch an interview with Drescher and not immediately start singing The Nanny song in their head? During the 1990s, Drescher was the funny beauty rep turned nanny who had an eye for fashion and a certain British man.
But while Drescher is instantly recognizable as the character she played for six seasons, the actress had a long career before joining the Queens-based sitcom.
The New York native started her career in 1977 as Connie on Saturday Night Fever. From there, she went on to Nine to Five, two separate characters on Who’s the Boss? and, a spot on The Tracey Ullman Show.
Since The Nanny ended in 1999, Drescher has starred in three separate TV shows, including her current gig, Indebted.
Life hasn’t exactly been easy for Fran Drescher
As humans, we have a tendency to envy the lives of the rich and famous. After all, they’re rich and famous, what more could they ask for? But often, the lives we see on TV are far from the lives many stars live.
Drescher has gone through a lot during her life. In an interview with People Magazine, the Beautician and the Beast star detailed the trauma that she has endured during her life. She discussed an instance where she and her friend were raped in front of her then-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson. Later, she went through a divorce from Jacobson and the revelation that he was gay. She even survived uterine cancer.
Fran Drescher says her cancer diagnosis was an opportunity
Cancer is a scary word. And for Drescher, her uterine diagnosis after her divorce was scary. But the star says that she learned something along the way. She viewed her diagnosis as somewhat of an “opportunity.”
The actress told People that when she was diagnosed she was able to let go of the “people pleaser mentality.”
She says: “I was in such crisis, and feeling feelings that I never really allowed myself, and saying out loud, things that I felt guilty about just thinking, for my growth as a human being.” After her diagnosis, she was able to focus more on herself and stop trying to be the “ever-there caregiver.”
The actress has learned to be more comfortable and confident in herself. During a recent press tour, she told Page Six that she is currently in a relationship with herself. She told the publication: “I’m not dating, I have my gay ex-husband who I love, and he fulfills a lot of needs.”
Drescher has made it through a lot during her life. But every time she has found a way to learn and grow. Not only has she developed tremendous strength along the way but she has found a way to find tremendous success in a field where she is so respected and loved.
