Shannen Doherty Breaks Down Ahead of Chemotherapy For Incurable Cancer: 'It's Wrecked Me'

The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum took to her podcast Let's Be Clear to open up about the next chapter of her cancer journey, telling her avid listeners that while she is hopeful for her next round of chemotherapy, there is also sadness.

"I got to say that there is some positivity there, and the positivity is that because my molecular structure of my cancer cells changed recently, it means that there's a lot more protocols for me to try," Doherty explained on her recent podcast episode, before adding that it's the first time in a while she has felt this kind of hope for the future.

"So, you know, for the first time in a couple of months, probably, I feel hopeful because there are so many more protocols now, whereas before I was hopeful, but I was still getting prepared," she said. "Now I'm like, 'Oh, I don’t need to be prepared. I need to go on a vacation. I need to go on a boat again and explore places.'"

The Charmed actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. While she was believed to be in remission in 2017, in 2019 she learned her cancer had metastasized as Stage 4 in her brain and bones.

The 53-year-old is now about to start a new round of chemotherapy, revealing that she does not know how long she will have to undergo the treatment.

"So there is hope mixed with my own bit of sadness because, again, I just don't know what all these chemos -- and it's more than one chemo that I'm going on. We're kind of throwing the kitchen sink at it," she continued.

The actress admitted that the idea of putting a chemo port into her body -- a small implant that delivers the medication directly into her blood stream -- has "wrecked" her.

"I have to get a port and it's really hard. The idea of going through that all over again, has wrecked me... Sorry," she told her listeners as she began to cry adding that she needed to pause for a second.

"It's wrecked me in the sense of like," she continued. "Yes I knew I had Stage 4, yes I knew it was really serious, but when you have to go to the hospital and you have to, you know, get put under and a port put in you, it becomes very real in a an incredibly different way."

Along with beginning chemotherapy again, she is also dealing with a tumultuous divorce from ex-husband Kurt Iswarienko. The pair were married for 11 years. Doherty is seeking spousal support from the Hollywood photographer, according to the legal filing viewed by TooFab. She is also accusing him of delaying the legal process "in hopes" she "will not survive the divorce proceedings."

However, Iswarienko's lawyer is disputing that claim, stating that the 49-year-old "wants the best for Shannen" and hopes "to put this case behind them."