Alicia Witt shared that discovering she had breast cancer in 2021 led her to quit drinking and stay sober, even after she was declared cancer-free.
The 48-year-old actress and singer underwent chemotherapy and a unilateral mastectomy following her diagnosis and announced in June last year that she was completely healthy.
“The Walking Dead” star, who released her new six-song EP titled “Witness” on Friday, said in a new interview with People that her first diagnosis immediately inspired her to stop drinking.
“I would say I was already a very healthy person overall, so I had to look at what I was doing that was perhaps making this situation worse,” she said.
“I learned how risky drinking is, and not only that, but when you realize it, you have to change.” “You can’t go back to everything you did before.”
Sobriety: Alicia Witt shared that discovering she had breast cancer in 2021 led her to quit drinking and stay sober even after she was declared cancer-free; Pictured 2019
Witt recounted the exact moment she found out she had cancer and how it happened just as she was on her way to a friend’s party with a bottle of alcohol in her hand.
“I have not had a drink since November 4, 2021, the day I was on my way to my dear friend Cindy Owen’s birthday party.”
“I had a bottle of whiskey because I knew someone who would be there who loved good whiskey, and I loved whiskey, and I also had a bottle of wine for Cindy.”
“As always, I looked forward to drinks. “As I was leaving for the party, I got the call that, to my doctor’s shock, the biopsy I had done revealed that I had breast cancer,” she said.
“And so I texted my friend and said, ‘I’m so sorry, I don’t think I can make it to your party.’ I sat with that and started learning everything I could. So I did the recommended treatments. I had a unilateral mastectomy that was recommended to me and thank God I got the all clear at the end of April.”
When asked if sobriety has impacted her dating life, Witt says she has a lot more fun without the help of liquid courage.
“I didn’t think I’d have this much fun, and honestly I love not being an alcoholic.”
“I think everything is better, and that includes dating and forming new relationships, whether romantic or not, having conversations, spending evenings and coming home late without feeling uncomfortable, no Uber -Having to take home and all.”
Better now: The 48-year-old actress and singer underwent chemotherapy and a unilateral mastectomy following her diagnosis and announced in June last year that she was completely healthy
Revealing: “I would say I was already a very healthy person overall, so I had to look at what I was doing that was perhaps making this situation worse,” she said of the reason she quit drinking
Risk: “I learned how risky drinking is, and not only that, but when you realize it, you have to change.” “You can’t go back to everything you did before”; Pictured 2020
Recovery: In December last year, the star revealed that she was on the mend after undergoing breast reconstruction surgery
Tragedy: The previous year had been an extraordinary one for the singer, who not only had to undergo cancer treatment but was also grieving the death of her parents
The beauty revealed how she’s feeling these days: “I dare say I feel a lot healthier than before.” “To be honest, that also has to do with the fact that I don’t drink.”
“I’m grateful for the changes I’ve made in my diet and in my life. The side effect is that I feel much better.”
She also shared that it was her faith in God and some close friends that helped her get through her treatments.
“I’ve been praying more than ever, and I’ve always felt a close connection to God, and that connection — that faith — has deepened exponentially.”
In December last year, the star revealed she was on the mend after undergoing breast reconstruction surgery.
The year before had been an extraordinary one for the singer, who not only had to undergo cancer treatment but was also grieving the death of her parents.
Her parents, Robert and Diane Witt, died at their home in Massachusetts.
The coroner found that the 87-year-old and 75-year-old died of “probable cardiac arrhythmias” due to the cold weather.
The Walking Dead: Witt has appeared in a number of successful television series, including “The Sopranos,” “Two and a Half Men” and “The Walking Dead.” Seen in a still from the sixth season of The Walking Dead
Alicia had just started chemotherapy at the time of her death and kept her condition a secret at the time. She explained on social media that keeping her diagnosis a secret was “a necessary part of my healing.”
The date of death was December 20, 2021, when their bodies were also found in their home.
Neighbors said their house hadn’t had a working heater for some time.
Witt broke her silence after her parents’ shocking deaths, revealing that they refused to help and hadn’t let her in for “over a decade.”
Witt began her career at the age of eight after she was discovered by David Lynch, who cast her in his 1984 version of the sci-fi classic Dune and an episode of Twin Peaks.
Witt has appeared in a number of hit television series, including The Sopranos, Two and a Half Men, The Walking Dead and Orange is the New Black.
Witt is also a pianist and made her stage debut in Los Angeles in 2001.