Blythe Danner disclosed that she has been facing the same disease as her late husband, Bruce Paltrow.
Danner, 79, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, and Jake Paltrow, 47, was diagnosed with a rare form of oral cancer in her salivary glands in March 2018 and is currently in remission.
It is uncommon for a pair to share the same malignancy, Danner told People.
“I recall looking up at heaven and asking Bruce, ‘Are you lonely up there?’” she recounts on her diagnosis. “It is a deceptive sickness. But I’m doing good now. And I am fortunate to be alive.”
Blythe Danner disclosed that she has been facing the same disease as her late husband, Bruce Paltrow.
Photograph by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Even though the illness was the same as the one that killed her husband of 33 years in 2002, Danner had no fear of death.
“I was not trembling in fear. “I have absolutely no fear of dying,” she remarked.
Danner also said that her perspective on death shifted following the passing of her husband.
When Gwyneth Paltrow learned that her mother had cancer, she expressed “extreme astonishment.”
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
“You never get over a loss of this magnitude. Bruce was our family’s center. And life is so much less vibrant without him. However, suffering is the price we pay for love.”
In 2018, while shooting in London, the actress “began to feel quite queasy” and “forgot everything.”
“I then felt a lump in my neck, just near to where Bruce had discovered his [in 1999],” she explained.
Blythe Danner hid the condition from her children for a considerable period.
Phil Mccarthy/Imaging/AP
After undergoing two surgeries and searching for alternative treatments for years, the “Meet the Parents” actress underwent a third surgery in 2020, during which the cancerous tissue was successfully removed. Additionally, she had radiation and chemotherapy.
Long ago, Danner concealed her condition from her children.
Danner stated, “I wanted to advance as a mother, but I didn’t want them to worry.”
Blythe Danner had no fear of death, despite the fact that her husband of 33 years had died of the same type of cancer in 2002.
REUTERS and Fred Prouser
When Gwyneth learned that her mother had cancer, she expressed “extreme shock.”
“It was eerie. And it felt eerie because it was so similar [to my father’s],” said the founder of Goop. “She handled the situation with such poise. I was astounded by how strong she could be.”
Danner is a current advocate for the Oral Cancer Foundation, which aims to increase public awareness of oral and oropharyngeal cancers.
“I believe we have all become stronger in some way. This disease and this life are somewhat random,” Danner said. “But I’ve had a career, wonderful children, and a devoted spouse. I’m very appreciative.”