‘Elsbeth’ Star Carrie Preston ‘Shocked’ at Skin Cancer Diagnosis

Emmy Award–winning actress Carrie Preston, 58, has shared that she learned a mole on her face was cancerous while filming the Season 2 finale of her CBS hit TV show, Elsbeth.

Preston announced the news on actress Busy Phillips’ podcast, Busy This Week. “You might notice I am sporting some face jewelry,” she said, turning to the camera to show a silicone scar strip decorated with fake jewels.

After Phillips called the bedazzled strip “beautiful,” Preston explained how she was diagnosed with cancer on the last day of filming for Elsbeth.

“A test that I had done on a mole on my cheek was basal cell carcinoma,” Preston explained.

According to the Mayo Clinic, basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in the basal cells, which produce new skin cells as old ones die. It typically occurs in areas of the skin that are most exposed to the sun.

Preston, who is also a producer and director, said she knew she had to “get it removed” during Elsbeth’s season hiatus but didn’t want to tell anyone because she was “shocked” and “a little ashamed.” She said she even asked, “What did I do wrong?”

Preston said guest stars Mary-Louise Parker, 60, Alyssa Milano, 52, Elizabeth Lail, 33, and Donna Lynne Champlin, 54, were “rallying around” to give her the resources she needed to make an appointment for the cancer removal.

“Within five minutes, I was talking to a doctor’s office, I had an appointment for the following week,” Preston said.

When the actress had the procedure done a week later, she admitted that the Mohs surgery “was a little more involved than I’d wanted,” leaving a scar that she covered with a silicone strip.

But the bubbly actress was determined to turn a scary situation into a stylish one, saying, “If I’m going to wear something on my face, I’m going to make it fashion, so I went and got some jewels.”

While being interviewed by AARP in 2024, The Good Wife starlet said that being “mindful of what I put in my body and how that affects my body” have been key to her staying healthy.

Preston continued: “It’s making sure that I stay healthy and hydrated and take my supplements. I do Pilates at least two, three times a week. I used to jog — I can’t do that anymore. The body just doesn’t want to do that. It hurts the knees. So, I do the lower impact things [like] hiking [and] a lot of walking.

“I’m constantly aware of [the fact that] we only have this body, so you’ve got to take care of it. Luckily, it’s working out — the investment that I put in my body, starting when I was young. I’m glad that I invested in my body that way, because it’s a habit now.”

AARP has resources about seven skin symptoms that need medical attention and the warning signs of skin cancer.