Shannen Doherty’s Emotional Yearning for Motherhood: Remembering Her Unmet Dream of Having Children Despite Tragic Passing
Shannen Doherty’s untimely passing at age 53 on Saturday, July 13, sent Hollywood into a mourning phase. The actress’s death, however, becomes more sorrowful when we reminisce about one of her unfulfilled wishes in life. Doherty, who lost a long battle with cancer over the weekend, wanted to be a mom before her death—a desire she voiced as recently as this January on her Let’s Be Clear podcast.
In an episode featuring her oncologist, Dr. Lawrence Piro, the Charmed actress revealed she had been desperately trying to get pregnant with her ex-husband before her cancer relapse in 2019.
Shannen Doherty wanted to be a mom; Had close relationships with her friends’ kids
In the aforementioned episode of her podcast, Doherty shared that she wanted a child not just for herself but for her husband, too. She wanted it for their marriage and for her husband to have that part of him fulfilled as well. The couple, per the actress, opted for IVF for the same but, Doherty said, they eventually had to stop due to her menopause and her bitter health journey, which included a mastectomy in 2016.
Doherty and her ex-husband, Kurt Iswarienko, who married in 2011, split in 2023. The same year, Doherty shared that her cancer had spread to her brain and bones.
In a November 2023 conversation with People, the Beverly Hills 90210 actress said that she debated having kids all the time. She even considered the option of adopting or having one with one of her male best friends or a partner.
Doherty, however, was also content with having her brother’s kids and her best friend’s kids around, she told the publication during their conversation. In November last year, the late actress shared a heartwarming video of her dancing with her friend Chris Cortazzo’s kids. The latter posted a video on Instagram on July 14 to mourn losing “ my protector, my best friend, and my divine wife.” His Instagram tribute montage featured pictures of them and his kids.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who appeared on the Let’s Be Clear podcast in February, said that she will be forever grateful to Doherty for opening her home to her and her kids during COVID.
Doherty passed away from cancer on July 13, 2024; she was first diagnosed with the deadly disease in 2015
“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty,” the actress’s long-time publicist, Leslie Sloane, confirmed in a statement. “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and friend was surrounded by her loved ones, as well as her dog, Bowie,” the statement noted.
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