Pamela Anderson Reveals She Was Given '10 Years to Live' by Docs After Hepatitis C Diagnosis — 'It Was a Death Sentence'
Pamela Anderson has opened up about her Hepatitis C in the late 1990s.
Sept. 8 2026, Published 12:45 p.m. ET
Pamela Anderson was given "10 years" to live after being diagnosed with Hepatitis C in the late 1990s, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The former Baywatch star, 59, was handed the grim outlook by doctors during a time when there was no cure for the virus.
'It Turned My Life Inside Out'
Anderson said the virus made her concerned about her kids' future.
Opening up about the illness, Anderson said, "It was a death sentence," she told the crowd at the 2026 amfAR Gala Venezia. "That's what my doctor told me – that I probably had around 10 years to live."
The actress, now 59, admitted that the diagnosis may have "colored and corrupted (her) decisions."
She explained: "It was not fear of death, but fear of what might happen to my young children," she added, referring to her kids, Brandon Thomas, 30, and Dylan Jagger, 28, whom she shares with her ex-husband Tommy Lee.
"It turned my life inside out."
Relief Over Hepatitis C Cure
Anderson was free of the disease by 2015.
Anderson previously said she contracted hepatitis C when she shared a tattoo needle with Mötley Crüe drummer, whom she was married to from 1995 to 1998
Medications to cure hepatitis C were approved in 2011, and Anderson was free of the disease by 2015.
Speaking at the event, which raised funds for medical research, in Venice, Italy, the former Playboy pin-up said it "took everything (she) had in (her) bank" to undergo treatment.
Despite being free from the disease, Anderson explained her "experience of shame and guilt was also an unconscious journey" that "stays" with and "haunts" her.
"And just like the sexual abuse that I endured as a child, it felt like it was carved into my forehead: Damaged goods," she added. "And I presented myself as such."
'I’m Not the Damsel in Distress'
Anderson refuses to play the victim.
However, the Last Showgirl star refuses to view herself as a victim.
"I'm a victor," Anderson said. "I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of. I’m not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play."
Anderson is at the Film Festival to promote her new film, Place To Be, and to receive a prestigious award at the amfAR Gala.
The actress rose to fame as lifeguard C.J. Parker on Baywatch in the 1990s.
She appeared in 77 episodes, from season three to seven, and later reprised her role in the 2003 reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.
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The actress recalled enjoying her time on 'Baywatch'.
Reflecting on her time on Baywatch during a chat with Deadline earlier this summer, the screen star said: "It was a great job, and I loved going to work every day on the beach."
"I would have been there anyway," she added with a laugh. "At the time, it taught me a lot, and it gave me worldwide exposure.
"Everything I've done has led me to here, which is a blessing. But I have no plans of going back to Baywatch."
When asked if she wanted to know where her character ended up following Baywatch being rebooted, she candidly replied: "If my kids were involved, I probably would have listened to them."
