Pamela Anderson disclosed the financial toll of treating hepatitis C, revealing she depleted her savings to access an early-stage cure that her insurance did not cover.
Anderson, now 59, was diagnosed with hepatitis C in the late 1990s, a period she described as transformative and traumatic. “Back in the late ’90s, when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, there was no cure,” she said while accepting amfAR’s Award of Courage at a ceremony in Venice on Sunday. “I’m sure that colored and corrupted my decisions. It was not fear of death but fear of what might happen to my young children. It turned my life inside out.”
She went public with her diagnosis in 2002, claiming she contracted the disease while sharing needles with her ex-husband, Tommy Lee, the Mötley Crüe drummer. Lee has denied the claim.
When treatment eventually became available roughly a decade later, access required a major sacrifice. “Ten blurry years later, there was a cure. I was lucky,” Anderson recalled. “I was offered it in its early stages, and it took everything I had in my bank to pay for it. It wasn’t covered by insurance yet, and I felt tremendous guilt that others weren’t granted the same access.”
Anderson completed an FDA-approved yearlong treatment regimen and announced she was free from hepatitis C in 2015. However, she emphasized the psychological burden of her diagnosis persisted. “But my experience of shame and guilt was also an unconscious journey. It stays with me; it haunts me,” she said, drawing parallels to childhood trauma she endured.
Despite the challenges following her diagnosis, Anderson has staged a career resurgence since declaring herself “hep C free.” She has appeared in films including “The Last Showgirl,” “The Naked Gun,” and “Rosebush Pruning.” Her latest film, “Place to Be,” premiered Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival.
Anderson concluded her remarks by reframing her experience through her artistic work. “My truth has come through my work, finding ways to express myself through the arts. I gave me the ammunition I needed, a fertile life to use and play in. I’m not a victim, I’m a victor.”
Key facts
- Anderson was diagnosed with hepatitis C in the late 1990s when there was no cure available
- She went public with her diagnosis in 2002, claiming she contracted the disease through needle-sharing with ex-husband Tommy Lee
- Anderson spent her entire bank account on early-stage treatment that insurance did not yet cover
- She completed a yearlong FDA-approved regimen and announced she was hepatitis C-free in 2015
- Anderson has since returned to acting, appearing in multiple films and premiering new work at the Venice Film Festival