Farrah Speaks: Cancer in Public Eye Is More 'Stressful'

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posted: 37 MINUTES AGO

Farrah Fawcett doesn't like the attention she's receiving regarding her illness.

The 'Charlie's Angels' star was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, and has been fighting the disease ever since.

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A Look at Farrah Fawcett

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Farrah Fawcett speaks out about the anal cancer that's threatening her life. "It's much easier to go through something and deal with it without being under a microscope. It was stressful. I was terrified of getting the chemo. It's not pleasant. And the radiation is not pleasant."

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A Look at Farrah

Farrah Fawcett has been released from the hospital after suffering from internal bleeding. "She's walking and in great in spirits and looking forward to celebrating Easter at home. Her home has been stocked with her favorite teas and food and she's looking forward to enjoying them," her doctor, Lawrence Piro, said.

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Fawcett had abdominal bleeding and a "quite painful" hematoma after undergoing aggressive alternative treatments in her three-year battle with anal cancer in Germany. She flew back to Los Angeles because she was anxious to come home and is using a wheelchair because the pain makes it difficult to walk. Longtime lover Ryan O'Neal, seen with Fawcett in 2004, was by her side.

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Fawcett is best known for playing Jill Munroe in the series 'Charlie's Angels' back in the 1970s. Her undeniable sex appeal helped make the show a gigantic hit and established the actress as the top pin-up model for millions of men (and adolescent boys).

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It quickly became clear who the top Angel was on the show when it premiered in 1976, though Jaclyn Smith, left, and Kate Jackson were no slouches themselves. Fawcett left the show after only one season, but came back sporadically in later years. She was replaced by the also saucy Cheryl Ladd. The show ran until 1981.
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Fawcett has always had an idea as to why the show was such a success with viewers. "When the show was number three, I figured it was our acting," she has said about ratings. "When it got to be number one, I decided it could only be because none of us wears a bra."

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The Texas native began doing shampoo commercials and TV guest spots in the early 1970s and eventually caught the eye of producers who cast the unknown beauty in 'Angels.' Her tousled and feathered hair style was "The Rachel" of its time and has been copied by generations.

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She showed her acting chops -- and garnered one of three Emmy nominations -- for her portrayal as a battered wife in the acclaimed 1984 TV movie 'The Burning Bed.'

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In 1983, Fawcett made her Off-Broadway debut in the play 'Extremeties' where she played a woman who thwarts a would-be rapist and imprisons him in her fireplace. She went on to star in the 1986 film adaptation.

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Since her divorce from Lee Majors in 1982, Fawcett has been romantically linked to Ryan O'Neal. Their son, Redmond, was born in 1985 and has long struggled with drug addiction.

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O'Neal was arrested April 5 outside a jail in California after police found controlled substances in his car during a routine search. He had just finished dropping two friends off at the facility to visit someone. According to TMZ, one of the substances was heroin.

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In an interview done back in August with the Los Angeles Times, but first published today, Fawcett speaks out for the first time about the pressure her celebrity has put her through.

"It's much easier to go through something and deal with it without being under a microscope. It was stressful. I was terrified of getting the chemo. It's not pleasant. And the radiation is not pleasant," she says.

"It becomes your life," she says. "People call, 'How are you?' 'How do you feel?' 'We're praying for you.' 'Do you still have your hair?' 'What do you feel like?' When every single call is that kind of call . . . it's all you talk about. It's all-consuming. Then, your quality of life is never the same."

The actress rails against a tabloid that printed the headline "Farrah Begs: Let Me Die."

"God, I would never say something like that. To think that people who did look up to me and felt positive because I was going through it too and yet I was strong ... it just negated all that," she defends.

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