‘Today, I’m the one’ - comedy star has cancer
UNITED STATES: Just when we thought she was invincible, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has dropped a bombshell - the Veep star has breast cancer.
‘‘1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one,’’ the actress shared in a post on Instagram and Twitter yesterday.
The former Seinfeld star spun the announcement into a political statement on healthcare, which has remained a hot-button issue in the US.
‘‘The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union,’’ she added. ‘‘The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let’s fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality.’’
Louis-Dreyfus, 56, did not share additional details about her diagnosis, nor did she share much about her prognosis. However, her publicist said she was ‘‘incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and well wishes’’.
The news comes after LouisDreyfus made Emmy Awards history earlier this month with another win for her HBO comedy Veep.
She won her sixth consecutive acting prize for her performance as foul-mouthed fictitious former US president and career politician Selina Meyer, earning the most Emmys for playing the same character. She previously shared the record with Mary Tyler Moore and Candice Bergen.
She also won the best comedy prize for a second time as a producer of the show.
Veep will come to an end in 2018 once its seventh season concludes.
‘‘This is and continues to be the role of a lifetime and an adventure of utter, utter joy,’’ Louis-Dreyfus said in her Emmys acceptance speech.
Time Warner’s HBO network said Louis-Dreyfus received the diagnosis a day after the Emmys ceremony.
It added that her diagnosis played no part in its decision to end Veep after next season, and that writers would keep working while production would be adjusted around the actress.
‘‘Our love and support go out to Julia and her family at this time. We have every confidence she will get through this with her usual tenacity and undaunted spirit, and look forward to her return to health and to HBO for the final season of Veep,’’ HBO said.
Louis-Dreyfus achieved fame in the 1990s for her role as Elaine Benes in NBC’s Seinfeld, which also won her an Emmy.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women and the most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. - LA Times, Reuters