Pamela Anderson was 34 years old when she publicly announced that she had been diagnosed with hepatitis C. “I contracted it when I shared a tattoo needle with my ex-husband, Tommy Lee [to whom she was married from 1995 to 1998]. Tommy has the disease and never told me during our marriage,” the actress confessed in 2002 in a statement. This Sunday, September 6, at 59 years old, the actress recalled that stage of her life during the amfAR foundation gala in Venice, where its prestigious film festival is being held these days. “It was a death sentence. That’s what my doctor told me: that I probably had about 10 years left to live,” said the star of Baywatch during her speech accepting the NGO’s courage award.
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“I’m sure that influenced and distorted my decisions. It wasn’t fear of death, but fear of what might happen to my young children. That completely changed my life,” the actress admitted last night. Anderson is the mother of two children, from her marriage to the Greek-American musician: Brandon Thomas (30 years old) and Dylan Jagger (28 years old). At that time, in the early 2000s, there was no definitive cure for this viral disease that damages the liver, but one was created and approved for the first time in 2011. In 2015, the actress shared on her social media that she was free of hepatitis C after trying a new antiviral treatment. “I’m cured!!! I just found out. I pray that anyone living with hepatitis C can access or afford the treatment. It will soon be more available. I know it’s still hard to get… Don’t lose hope,” she said in an Instagram post that is no longer available on her profile, where she now has 5.4 million followers.
The main goal of amfAR is “to end the global HIV/AIDS epidemic through research,” but it also works to defend the rights of people with hepatitis C, as it is a common infection among those living with AIDS. Besides Anderson, the event featured other celebrities such as actor Orlando Bloom, artist Marina Abramović — winner of the inspiration award — and director Taika Waititi — host of the gala —.
“My experience of shame and guilt was also an unconscious journey. It accompanies me, it haunts me. And just like the sexual abuse I suffered as a child [she has revealed in the past that she was raped several times from the age of six], I felt as if it was written on my forehead: damaged goods. And I presented myself as such,” Anderson told the audience with the award in hand.
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After decades typecast as a sex symbol, Anderson dazzled critics with her role in The Last Showgirl in 2024, where she played a veteran Las Vegas showgirl facing the end of her career. After that film, she worked in the comedy Agárralo como puedas — which sparked a brief but very public romance with her co-star Liam Neeson — and in the thriller Rosebush Pruning. Additionally, she has participated in six other projects that will be released soon, including Place to Be, a drama premiering this Wednesday at the Venice Festival. “My truth has emerged through my work, finding ways to express myself through the arts. It gave me the tools I needed, a productive life in which to play and develop. I am not a victim, I am a winner. I am strong and capable, now more than I ever could have dreamed… I am not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy it is to play that role,” she explained on Sunday at the amfAR gala.
The night included an auction where items such as an Andy Warhol painting sold for 160,000 euros or a pair of Chopard sapphire earrings that reached 140,000 euros in the bidding. Also auctioned was an exclusive visit to the Lord of the Rings set in New Zealand including a meeting with Andy Serkis, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Kate Winslet, which went for 90,000 euros. The star piece was donated by Abramović, which included one of her artworks as well as a private lunch prepared by her in her Manhattan apartment, along with a masterclass. The lot reached 500,000 euros.
