'LAUGHTER GETS ME THROUGH THIS'

CANCER ISN’T STOPPING THE ACTRESS FROM LIVING LIFE

- Craig Bennett

It’s approaching three years since retired supermodel and internationally loved screen queen Virginia Hey was diagnosed with an especially aggressive, life-altering cancer. But the plucky former E Street star is convinced her silly sense of humour and upbeat attitude is powering her through the fight of her life.

“I have an insidious form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. I suspect it’s been with me for years, as I’d been feeling so inexplicably tired and wornout, which led to my retiring five years ago,” Virginia, 72, tells New Idea in an exclusive interview from her London home. Virginia was officially diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in June 2022. The disease was so advanced her oncologists feared she might only have between six to 15 months to live.

But Virginia was determined to take action.

“Did I panic when given that dire prognosis? No,” she recalls. “I went straight into a science logic, mind-over-matter mode.

“I had plenty of questions: What is it? Where is it? How do we treat it? What can I do to prepare? I became mentally geared-up for the fight. I’ve always brimmed with positivity. I knew that remaining cheerful was essential. Doom and gloom are not welcome in this adventure.”