Kathy Bates arrives at the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California in this file photo taken January 29, 2012. Bates said on Wednesday she had undergone a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer, nine years after a bout with ovarian cancer.Reuters
Misery and Titanic star Kathy Bates revealed Thursday that she has had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer, insisting she is beating cancer for the second time.
Bates, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003, had been silent on Twitter since May, after her show Harry's Law was canceled by NBC television.
"Hey All, sorry for the long silence. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 months ago & am recovering from a double mastectomy," she tweeted.
"I don't miss my breasts as much as I miss Harry's Law. ;-) Thanks for all the sweet tweets. Y'all kept me going."
Bates received dozens of messages of support from women who had similar experiences.
"After much consideration, I underwent a double mastectomy. Luckily, I don't have to undergo radiation or chemo," she told People magazine.
"My family call me Kat because I always land on my feet and thankfully this is no exception."
Bates won the 1991 Oscar award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work on Misery.
She was also nominated for her supporting roles in Primary Colors and About Schmidt.
In James Cameron's Titanic, Bates played the role of philanthropist Molly Brown.