Pamela Anderson reveals the devastating diagnosis that once left her fearing for her life

Pamela Anderson said a hepatitis C diagnosis once made her fear she might live only about a decade, reshaping her choices for years. Speaking at amfAR’s gala in Venice, where she received the Award of Courage, Anderson said she was diagnosed in the late 1990s when there was no cure, then later underwent treatment after new medications became available. She was declared “hep C free” in 2015. Anderson added that paying for treatment cost her nearly all her savings and that her doctor warned she “probably had around 10 years to live.” She said her fear focused less on her own death and more on her young children. She noted feelings of shame and guilt, and said she has begun to come to terms by channeling the experience into her work.