Judd Nelson Thinks Ex Shannen Doherty Is a 'Real Survivor' in Cancer Battle

Judd Nelson is sending his best wishes to ex-girlfriend Shannen Doherty as she continues to battle stage 4 cancer.

“She’s a real survivor. I mean, I don’t know if that’s a good thing sometimes,” Nelson, 64, exclusively told Us Weekly on Sunday, March 10, while attending the Children Uniting Nations 24th Annual Academy Awards Celebration and Viewing Dinner in Beverly Hills. “Because she’s going to fight it. You know what I mean? It’s like, I really have great empathy for her and I really wish her the best.”

Nelson, who dated Doherty, 52, briefly in 1993, shared his belief that “words of hope” are “always important” when it comes to recovery.

“We don’t really know yet whether this positive attitude about health will in fact make us feel better,” he explained. “But there’s some evidence that says if you think you’re going to get sick, you’re probably going to get sick.”

Shannen Doherty’s Dating History

Nelson noted that until a recent run-in two months ago, he hadn’t seen Doherty “in a while.” While their encounter was brief and unexpected, the Breakfast Club alum gushed about getting to catch up with his former flame.

“It was good,” he recalled of the impromptu hangout. Although they didn’t talk about her health, he added: “She looked great. Was funny as hell, she always is.”

Doherty was initially diagnosed with cancer in 2015. After two years of chemotherapy, the actress revealed she was in remission. However, the cancer returned in 2020 as stage IV breast cancer. In November 2023, Doherty revealed that the cancer had spread to her bones.

“I don’t want to die,” the Charmed alum told People later that month. “I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better.”

Shannen Doherty Hopes Her ‘Legacy’ Will Give a ‘Face and Emotion’ to Cancer

In January 2024, Doherty shared she was feeling hopeful after seeing progress in her latest treatment.

“I’m on a new cancer infusion, and after four treatments, we didn’t really see a difference and everybody wanted me to switch, and I just kinda was like, ‘We’re gonna keep going with this and see,’” she told her radiation oncologist Dr. Amin Mirhadi on her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast. “And yeah, after the sixth or seventh treatment, we really saw it breaking down the blood-brain barrier.”

Doherty called her body’s response to the new treatment a “miracle” and chose to continue the infusions after consulting her medical team.

With reporting by Andrea Simpson