SURVIVAL MODE

‘Baywatch’ Star, 54, Shares Jaw-Dropping Cost of Cancer Battle

The actress shared details of her lengthy struggle.

Nicole Eggert’s breast cancer battle left her facing a terrifying reality: suddenly, her livelihood was at risk.

The 54-year-old Baywatch star revealed to Fox News Digital on Friday that her demanding treatment schedule forced her to stop taking acting jobs, leaving her struggling to support her teenage daughter.

“I had to completely come to the realization that I wasn’t going to have income,” Eggert said. “So that’s like an entirely other added stress that I think a lot of people, that’s like last on the list, right? But it’s huge.”

Eggert, who played Summer Quinn on Baywatch in the ’90s, explained that cancer treatment could consume three to five days of her week, making it impossible to commit to filming.

“In my line of work, I couldn’t commit to being on any kind of production because I’m going to be in treatment and in and out of treatment,” she said.

The actress also had two daughters to consider: Dilyn, now an independent adult, and Keegan, still a teenager.

“I’m a 100 percent single parent,” Eggert said, explaining that she was responsible for the household expenses on top of her growing medical bills.

“And yet the bills don’t stop,” she said. “And the teenagers still need their things. And life needs their things. And the car still needs the gas.”

Eggert admitted that the expenses eventually became so overwhelming that she found herself thinking, “I’m underwater here.”

The Charles in Charge alum was diagnosed with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma, a rare form of breast cancer, in December 2023.

She initially experienced pain in her left breast and an unexplained 25-pound weight gain, which she had mistaken for symptoms of menopause.

Despite undergoing annual mammograms and ultrasounds because of her dense breast tissue, Eggert later realized she had overlooked another warning sign: Her bra no longer fit properly.

“What was actually happening is that the tumor was taking up more space,” she told Fox News Digital in December 2024⁠. “The mass was making that breast bigger.”

Eggert subsequently underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and two mastectomies, including breast reconstruction in August 2025.

Her cancer battle took another alarming turn in March when she underwent a full hysterectomy after doctors discovered what she described as “early signs of more cancer.”

The actress shared a photograph of her bruised stomach and surgical scars on Instagram⁠.

“What a journey,” she wrote. “Test results showed early signs of more cancer. I am grateful to my doctors for keeping such a close eye on me.”

Eggert revealed in December 2025⁠ that she had reached “no evidence of disease” status, although she continues to undergo monitoring.

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In October, she shared a video of herself dancing in her car⁠ to music by Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg while encouraging women to get screened for breast cancer.

“Celebrating being alive and thriving,” she wrote, adding that Breast Cancer Awareness Month was particularly emotional for her.

Now, Eggert is encouraging others facing similar challenges to seek support rather than struggle alone.

“You really have to find your community,” she told Fox News Digital⁠, “and you really have to be okay with asking for help.”

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Tamilore OshikanluContributor

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