Last updated:November 19, 2024, 7:46 PM IST

Sonali Bendre was diagnosed with stage four metastatic cancer in 2018. She underwent treatment at a hospital in New York and became cancer free in 2021.

Sonali Bendre reveals she was in disbelief when she found out about her cancer diagnosis.

Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre has been vocal about her cancer diagnosis, as well as her journey to becoming cancer free. She was diagnosed with stage four metastatic cancer in 2018. After undergoing treatment at a New York City hospital, she became cancer-free in 2021. In a recent interview, the actress revealed that she was in disbelief when they found out about her cancer diagnosis. She remembered that at one point she lost heart, but it was her husband Goldie Behl who refused to give up and was clear that she received treatment in New York.

In a conversation with Faye D’Souza, Sonali Bendre said, “It was just disbelief. I said it can’t happen to me. And then we go to the next stage of testing, and what we realized was that it had spread everywhere. Every time the doctors came out of every test, they went from gray to White.” She said the doctors tried not to tell her about it, but she could see it in their faces.

Sonali Bendre became emotional as she recalled how her husband Goldie Behl stood beside her like a rock. She said that at one point when they were talking about trying different treatments, she felt “this is it”. “My husband refused to give this up and he said ‘no, we’re leaving’. I thought ‘what the hell, my child is young, how do I leave my life and go away.’ But he was very clear about it. He said that I won’t live with regrets and I won’t let this happen. This should have been investigated earlier. I won’t regret it anymore, what than required.” She said that within four days she was on a flight to New York, where she began her cancer treatment.

Sonali Bendre said she is glad she got her treatment in New York. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that in this city. I needed that anonymity, to be able to be as sick as possible without anyone judging me. I needed some time before I was okay with people judging me. That city gave me that anonymity. I will always be grateful to that city for that,” Sonali said.

Sonali Bendre and Goldie Behl got married on 12 November 2002. They are parents to a 19-year-old son Ranveer Behl.