Shannen Dohrety
Former "Beverly Hills 90210" star Shannen Doherty, pictured above Jan. 12, 2011, opened up about her breast cancer battle on "The Dr. Oz Show" Thursday. Getty Images

Former “Beverly Hills 90210” star Shannen Doherty opened up about her battle with breast cancer during an interview with celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz for his talk show, “The Dr. Oz Show.” The actress talked about how her diagnosis has affected her career.

She knows she would need to take time off from work to heal, but added Hollywood does not want to hire someone whose body has changed from cancer medication. "There will be that recovery time and that I just have to take for myself. But it's also because you do change a little bit while you're on the medicine,” the actress said. “You gain weight, and there is nothing that you can do about it … and I think that all affects a career like mine that's not only based on talent, but it's so much based on sort of the superficial shell that is right here."

 

#fbf to the #mallrats premiere was such a special night. Can't wait to start filming #mallrats2 @thatkevinsmith

A photo posted by ShannenDoherty (@theshando) on

She isn’t sure if she needs to have a mastectomy, but she would do it if it meant saving her life. "Ultimately, they're just breasts right?" she told Dr. Oz Thursday, according to “Entertainment Tonight.” "I mean, I love them, they're mine, they're beautiful, but in the grand scheme of things, I would rather be alive and I would rather grow old with my husband."

Doherty’s talk with Dr. Oz comes two days after VH1 reality star Angela Raiola, best known as “Big Ang,” gave her final interview, also on "The Dr. Oz Show." She wanted people to know her lifelong addiction to cigarettes gave her cancer. “…She came on [the show] to get people to appreciate this dumb cigarette addiction she picked up as a young woman. She wanted people to see the anguish in her face, as she was clear about the fact that cigarettes killed her,” he said.

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