Gwyneth Paltrow Says Mom Blythe Danner's Cancer Was 'Scary' —'But She's the Strongest Person I Know'

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 02: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Gwyneth Paltrow and mother Blythe Danner pose backstage during the opening night of "The Country House" on Broadway at Manhattan Theater Club at The Samuel J. Friedman Theater on October 2, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 02: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Gwyneth Paltrow and mother Blythe Danner pose backstage during the opening night of "The Country House" on Broadway at Manhattan Theater Club at The Samuel J. Friedman Theater on October 2, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner

Gwyneth Paltrow is praising her mom Blythe Danner's strength throughout her cancer battle.

Danner, an Emmy-winning actress known for her roles in Meet the Parents and on Will & Grace, revealed for the first time that she is in remission after a years-long battle with oral cancer, the same disease that killed her beloved husband Bruce Paltrow in 2002.

"My mother is genuinely one of the strongest people I know," Gwyneth says in this week's issue of PEOPLE, noting Danner's journey with three surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. "I hope if I ever go through anything like that, I can be like her."

Bruce Paltrow had carotid carcinoma and Danner was diagnosed with adenoid carcinoma, a relatively rare form of oral cancer that often develops in the salivary glands, in 2018 after feeling a lump on her neck. However, she decided to keep the news to herself.

"I kept it from my kids for a long time," Danner says of Gwyneth, 50, and son Jake Paltrow, 47. "I wanted to forge ahead as a mother, and I didn't want them to worry."

When she finally told her daughter, "I was obviously very shocked," Gwyneth recalls. "It was scary. And it felt really eerie because it was so similar [to my dad's]."

RELATED: Blythe Danner Reveals Private Battle with the Same Cancer that Killed Her Husband Bruce Paltrow: 'I Feel Lucky to Be Alive'

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock (10075713e) Blythe Danner poses for a portrait to promote the film "The Tomorrow Man" at the Salesforce Music Lodge during the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah 2019 Sundance Film Festival - "The Tomorrow Man" Portrait Session, Park City, USA - 28 Jan 2019
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock (10075713e) Blythe Danner poses for a portrait to promote the film "The Tomorrow Man" at the Salesforce Music Lodge during the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah 2019 Sundance Film Festival - "The Tomorrow Man" Portrait Session, Park City, USA - 28 Jan 2019

Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Blythe Danner

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

After two surgeries and years of exploring alternative treatments, Danner underwent a third surgery with Dr. Mark DeLacure in 2020, which succeeded in removing the cancerous tissue.

"She went through it with so much grace," Paltrow added of her mother. "I was amazed at how strong she was able to be."

"I wasn't quaking in my boots," Danner adds. "I don't have any fear of death at all."

These days, Danner surrounds herself with family — "nothing makes me happier than the kids," she says — as well as her advocacy work with the Oral Cancer Foundation, which strives to raise awareness of oral and oropharyngeal cancers, with which an estimated 54,000 Americans are diagnosed each year.

"Screening for the early signs by a dental professional is quick, inexpensive, and painless," says the Foundation's Executive Director, Brian Hill, who also advocates for vaccinating children for HPV, a virus that can lead to cancers in the mouth.

For more on Danner's cancer, pick up a copy of PEOPLE, on newsstands now