Cheryl Ladd, 74, Goes Public With Breast Cancer Diagnosis for the First Time

Cheryl Ladd, 74, revealed for the first time on April 6 that she survived an aggressive form of breast cancer. The revelation came at a PaleyFest L.A. panel marking the 50th anniversary of Charlie’s Angels. It is a story about survival. And about what comes after it.

“It’s always a shock,” Ladd said, describing the diagnosis as “aggressive” and the experience as “humbling.” She credited her doctors and her husband for helping her through what came next. 

“I was bald,” she added, per People. “Eventually, I started to get little sprouts of hair. It was a long, hard road, but you just get on with it.”

All three women on that stage have faced breast cancer. Jaclyn Smith, 80, diagnosed in 2002, underwent a lumpectomy and radiation and has been cancer-free since. Kate Jackson, 77, was first diagnosed in 1987 and saw the disease return in 1989. She ultimately had a partial mastectomy with reconstructive surgery after her second diagnosis. 

Smith supported Ladd during her treatment. “When Cheryl called me, the first thing I did was send her my wigs. She was so brave,” Smith said. 

In an interview with Maria Shriver for Today, which aired April 7, the women discussed how their friendship carried them through it. “I always talk about the power of girlfriends. It’s so important,” Smith said.

“Charlie’s Angels” stars Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith in a 1978 episode of the show with Dean Martin.

ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images

Ladd picked up the thread, speaking about their onscreen relationship. “I felt the same way. I thought that showing women who were for each other, not competing with each other, that we were all for each other.”

Jackson closed it out. “Nobody ever had to say, ‘I’ve got your back.’ That was just the way it was.”