Shannen Doherty, 52, is ‘open’ to finding love again after revealing stage four breast cancer has spread to her bones: ‘I’m pretty sure I’ll meet somebody

Shannen Doherty is ‘open’ to love again after sharing a difficult update on her eight-year battle with cancer.

The 52-year-old actress — who revealed that her stage-four breast cancer has now spread to her bones — told People on Wednesday that she is up for dating again.

‘I was not ready at all before three weeks ago,’ she admitted, but then ‘something happen[ed].’

‘There’s always a trigger, just a moment that you have, somebody says something to you, your ex says one thing to you and you’re like, “OK, yeah, I’m good. I’m good.” I have closure and I can move on in a really healthy way,’ she continued.

Even though she’s looking for love again, Doherty wasn’t sure if she wanted a safe relationship with someone she had known for a long time, or if she was looking for something new and exciting.

‘I have a best friend, a male best friend who we joke that we’re married,’ she continued, seemingly referring to her real estate agent friend Chris Cortazzo, with whom she has posed on Instagram multiple times. 

‘I don’t know if it’s that or if it’s stumbling upon somebody and just feeling an instant connection. I’m open, and I wasn’t [before],’ she added.

Despite her ongoing health struggles, the Heathers actress was optimistic about finding someone right for her.

‘I don’t think I’m going to be single forever. I have to love myself and reckon with the past, really, before I can move forward, and now I’m pretty sure I’ll meet somebody — hopefully soon,’ she said.

Shannen’s plan comes after she separated from her husband Kurt Iswarienko in January and filed for divorce in April of this year, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’

The couple had been married since 2011.

Her first two marriages were much shorter. She was wed to Ashley Hamilton from 1993 to 1994, and she was married to Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003.

‘Listen, Elizabeth Taylor still has me beat as far as husbands and divorces, so I’m good,’ she joked. ‘I’m not there yet, so there’s no reason to be negative about it. S*** happens.’

Doherty added that it wasn’t just a relationship she was open to again, as she had also given motherhood another thought.

‘I would love nothing more than to be a mom,’ she admitted. ‘I always wanted it, and I think if I did it with my best friend or a partner, then I don’t know any amount of time…’

After a pause, she went on. 

‘I look at kids who don’t have parents at all — any amount of time [with a parent] is better than nothing,’ she said, before admitting that she ‘vacillate[s].’ 

‘I’m biding my time, but in the meantime, I’ve got my brother’s seven kids and my best friend’s kids, who I kind of view as my children,’ she added.

Doherty was also open about having dealt with depression amid her cancer battle, but she managed to still remain optimistic.

‘Things have not been exactly easy and smooth. They’ve been really challenging at times, and it’s hard to find yourself suddenly single in your 50s, and with Stage 4 cancer. That’s a hard one,’ she shared. ‘And that was super depressing for a while now, but eventually you turn a corner.’

Now she’s looking forward to seeing what’s around that corner.

‘I didn’t want to jump into anything and not have it all sorted in my head because then I’m no good to another person at that point,’ she said, adding, ‘Now I’m ready.’

Elsewhere in her cover story, Doherty revealed to People that her stage-four breast cancer had spread to her bones. 

The screen star — who was seen picking up Thanksgiving Day groceries with her mother last week — gave the tough health update on her eight-year battle with cancer in a new feature story.

However, the star remains positive despite this health setback as she bravely told the weekly: ‘I don’t want to die.

‘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. I’m just not done.’

Shannen is continuing to seek treatment.

She said she hopes to inspire others with her cancer journey as she explained: ‘When you ask yourself, “Why me? Why did I get cancer?” and then “Why did my cancer come back? Why am I stage 4?,” that leads you to look for the bigger purpose in life.’

Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended, her next goal is to prove that she still can act and continue on with her career despite her illness.

The former star of Beverly Hills, 90210 said: ‘People just assume that it means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture at a very early age —”You’re done, you’re retired,” and we’re not.

‘We’re vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and keep moving forward.’

In June, the Heathers star shared that her stage four breast cancer had spread to her brain.

She also revealed that five months prior to that she had undergone a surgery in order to remove a brain tumor which she humorously named ‘Bob’.

Shannen told People: ‘He had to get removed and dissected to see his pathology. It was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through in my entire life.’

The actress had a CT scan done on January 5 that revealed cancer cells had spread from their original site to her brain — known as ‘brain metastases.’

Breast cancer is among those most likely to lead to brain metastases which could cause a tumor or tumors in the brain, as per the Mayo Clinic.

Shannen explained that she underwent her first round of radiation therapy on January 12 and that she’s fearful despite having a ‘great’ medical team.

Included with her post was a heartbreaking clip of herself crying as she received the cancer treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

‘January 12, 2023,’ began Shannen. ‘On January 5th, my ct scan showed Mets in my brain.’

She then referenced a video clip shared Monday which showed her getting some sort of an MRI.

The star explained that it is part of the ‘process of getting fitted for the mask which you wear during radiation to your brain.’

In the clip, she is seen lying down as doctors placed a blue mold over her face. They had her bite down to make sure it adhered to her mouth and chin.

Shannen began to cry as they held the edges of the mask down and pinned them to a board behind her head before moving her into the machine.

The actress continued Tuesday: ‘January 12, the first round of radiation took place. My fear is obvious.’

Radiation treatment uses ‘energy beams to destroy cancer cells’ and it can ‘target all or part of the brain, depending on a person’s diagnosis,’ according to NYU Langone Health.

‘I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life,’ Shannen wrote. ‘I am fortunate as I have great doctors like Dr Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at cedar sinai.

‘But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like,’ the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum concluded. 

She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015 that spread to her lymph nodes.

After undergoing a unilateral mastectomy and radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Shannen announced that her cancer was in remission in April 2017.

The actress then revealed in February 2020 that her cancer had returned and she was in stage four, before announcing June that it had spread to her brain and is terminal.

Shannen in April filed for divorce from her husband, Kurt Iswarienko, 49, after 11 years of marriage.

The official divorce paperwork obtained by TMZ revealed that the pair had been separated since January.

Shannen and Iswarienko exchanged vows and tied the knot in Malibu in October 2011.

Previously, she was married to actor Ashley Hamilton from 1993 to 1994, and her second marriage was with poker player Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003.

Shannen portrayed Brenda Walsh in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1994 and reprised the role for 90210 in 2008 and again in BH90210 in 2019.

She also is known for her portrayal of Prue Halliwell in the fantasy drama TV series Charmed.