Kelly Ripa Reveals Shannen Doherty 'Knew Her Time Was Very, Very Limited' a Few Weeks Before She Died From Cancer
Kelly Ripa recalled the emotions she was going through when the talk show host had late pal Shannen Doherty on her "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast for the final time.
In a new interview, the mother-of-three was asked if there was anything in particular that "resonated" with her from their chat, which aired just a few weeks before the Beverly Hills, 90210 star passed away from cancer at age 53 in July.
"She and I over the years, having her be a guest on the show, and me constantly tying to set her up with people ... I always had an idea in my mind as to who might be a good match with Shannen," the former soap opera star, 53, spilled. "But the last conversation, she actually said to me, 'I’m kind of a tough sell because I don’t have a lot of time left.'"
"It was just painful because we’re the same age, we grew up together, and I always thought she got the rawest deal of anyone in show business. And I still believe that. I stand by that," the bubbly blonde continued, likely referring to how Doherty was axed from hit shows like Charmed.
"I just really adored her. Every experience I ever had with her was so positive. She's a generous human being," Ripa stated. "So I think that is what I took away, that I was crushed that she seemed to know that her time was very, very limited."
The Live! With Kelly and Mark co-host said there was a silver lining to the tragedy, explaining, "I will say, she was telling me about her treatments and it was so brutal and painful. It sounds very glib but the fact that she’s no longer in pain — in physical pain — provides everyone that knew and loved her with a little peace."
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!
As OK! reported, Doherty had been battling cancer since 2015. After going into remission in 2017, she announced in 2020 that the cancer returned the previous year in stage 4 and had spread to her brain.
After Doherty's death on July 13, her oncologist Dr. Lawrence D. Piro said the "Let's Be Clear With Shannen Doherty" podcast host fought until the very end.
"The last conversation that we had, she was in the process of realizing that things had taken a pretty significant turn," he told a news outlet at the time. "The conversation was about love and support and caring and still fighting through. She wanted to continue to take treatment and fight through, even though her physical condition had taken a bit of a downturn. And so we did."
"She was an incredible warrior in everything she did," he gushed.
Entertainment Tonight spoke to Ripa.