Shannen Doherty ‘desperately’ wanted children and a mother before she died
Shannen Doherty revealed her strong desire to become a mother before she died on July 13 after a nearly decade-long battle with cancer.
Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane confirmed the star’s death on Sunday. He was 53.
In a January episode of his podcast “Let’s Be Clear,” his oncologist Dr. Featuring Lawrence Pirro, Doherty said she tried “desperately” to conceive with her ex-husband before his cancer relapsed in 2019.
“I wanted children not only for myself but also for my husband. I wanted this for our wedding. I wanted him to fulfill that part of himself as well,” Doherty said.
Doherty married Kurt Iswarienko in 2011, which she described as “years later”. The actress explained that the couple faced challenges due to their age when they tried to become parents.
“So when it came time to make that decision, we needed IVF and I did a bunch of rounds of it,” the “Charmed” star continued.
Despite her efforts, she had to stop treatment due to menopause and her ongoing health battles, which included a mastectomy in 2016.
After a period of remission in 2017, Doherty revealed in February 2020 that her cancer had progressed to late stage 4. By November 2023, it had spread to his brain and bones.
Doherty and Ishwarenko separated in early 2023 With hope for the future, she told People in November 2023 that she had a new openness to love again.
“I don’t really know what it looks like,” he said at the time.
“I have a best friend, a male best friend who we joke that we’re married, and his two kids and I are hugely successful and we just love each other and hang out, and I see them as my children. “
“I don’t know if it’s that or if it’s stumbling upon someone and feeling an instant connection. But think, like I said, I’m open, and I wasn’t,” the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star added. “It’s a brand new thing. And when I say brand new, I mean in the last three weeks, brand new.”
Of motherhood, Doherty admits her insecurities, saying: “God, I’m always torn about it.”
“I think I’d love nothing more than to be a mother,” she added. “I’ve always wanted it, and I think if I do it with my best friend or a partner, I don’t know when … I look at kids who don’t have parents, and I think if I were to adopt a child or Whatever it is, any amount of time is better than nothing. may be I don’t know.”
As for his future, Doherty said he’s “just waiting for one of those clinical trials” to help improve his health.
“I’m spending my time, and in between, I’ve got my best friend’s kids, and my brother [Sean]It has seven children. They’re all grown up, but that’s okay,” he added.
In November 2023, Doherty posted a video on Instagram of her dancing with her friend Chris Cortazzo’s children.
On July 14, Cortazzo posted an Instagram tribute to her friend with a photo of them and her children, writing, “My dear friend and heart. What memories and laughs we shared through this journey. You were my protector, my best friend and my divine wife. My heart is broken. I love you forever my dear dear friend.”
Doherty also spent time with Sarah Michelle Gellar’s kids, the actress said on a February episode of “Let’s Be Clear.” Geller and husband Freddie Prinze Jr. share daughter, Charlotte, 14, and son, Rocky, 11.
“You gave my kids such a life in Covid and I was really struggling with how to give them that freedom and that room to be kids and have adventures,” Geller told Doherty. “And you opened your home to us in Covid in a way that I will be grateful for the rest of my life.”
On Monday, Geller paid tribute to his late friend, whom he had been with for more than three decades.
“How do you find the right words to sum up 30 years of friendship?” He wrote via Instagram. “I keep reminding myself it only hurts so much because, there was so much love,” she wrote. “Thank you, for all your kind words and support. I love all the messages about how important @theshando was to you. So let’s honor him.”
Geller continued: “More than anything, Sean loved animals, especially dogs. In his memory, let’s support our favorite animal charities. Whether it’s donating money, stopping by your local shelter and just giving them a hug and a walk.” Offering or even tagging them in the comments so other people know about their work. I know it would make our daughter happy (and we’d all love that deep-throated laugh).”
Despite her health struggles, Doherty expressed her determination to continue living life to the fullest in a 2023 interview with People.
“I’m not alive. I don’t end with love. I am not made. I hope I’m not done changing things for the better,” he said at the time. “I’m not right — I’m not done.”