American actress Rita Wilson has said it was “interesting to look at my body” following her breast cancer treatment.
In 2015, the 69-year-old revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
Wilson, known for Sleepless In Seattle (1993), took to social media last year to mark 10 years of being cancer-free and at the time said she was “deeply grateful” to have reached the milestone.
Speaking to People magazine, the singer and actress has opened up about how her relationship with her body changed during her cancer treatment.
Wilson said: “These parts of your body that had been there for you in such a beautiful way were gone.
“I’m very grateful that there are things nowadays in modern medicine like reconstruction and implants, because in my mum’s generation, if you had breast cancer, that was it. There was nothing. You were left with sort of a shadow.
“It was interesting to look at my body in that way and see it, understand what is missing, but also (see) what my body could do to keep me healing and healthy and have that appreciation.”
The star, who has since undergone a breast reconstruction, added: “I like to say that I’ve finally gone Hollywood now and I have some in place.”
Wilson tied the knot with Hollywood star Tom Hanks in 1988, and the pair have two children together, 35-year-old model Chet and actor Truman, 30.
The actress and singer has been candid about navigating body image challenges following her cancer diagnosis, and in her recent music, she has explored the notion of women struggling to recognise their bodies while postpartum.
On this, she told the magazine: “When you have a baby or when you carry a baby like I did, and you give birth to that life, and then you nurture that life.
“I nursed both my sons — you really have this extraordinary awe for what your body can do, what it has done, how it’s there for you, and it’s there for others.
“Even though your body changes and it shifts, and it might look different, you have such an appreciation for it.
“I remember distinctly just being amazed at what it could do.”
Wilson is famed for her big-screen roles, including Now and Then (1995) and has worked as a producer on hit films My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and Mamma Mia! (2008).
Through her decades-long career, she has also appeared in popular TV series, including The Good Wife and Girls.
Wilson is also a singer-songwriter who has released several studio albums and was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019.