Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow's Mom, Reveals Years-Long Battle With Cancer

Blythe Danner was diagnosed with the same cancer that took her husband, Bruce.

Blythe Danner is getting candid about her lengthy battle with oral cancer. 

In a new interview with People, Danner recalled getting hit with a diagnosis for the exact cancer that killed her husband, Bruce Paltrow, in 2002, noting that while "everyone is touched by cancer in some way,” it is “unusual for a couple to have the same cancer.”

Following the diagnosis in March 2018, the 79-year-old recalled looking "up at heaven" and asking her late husband if he was "lonely up there."

At the time of her diagnosis for what she refers to as a "sneaky disease," she was working in London and felt a “lump” in her neck located in the same area where her late husband found his back in 1999.

The Meet the Parents actress was eventually diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare form of oral cancer that typically develops in the salivary glands.

Following the diagnosis, she said she kept it from her kids, Gwyneth and Jake Paltrow, for a long time as she didn’t “want them to worry.”

The 50-year-old Goop founder said that finding out about the diagnosis was "eerie" considering the similarities to her dad’s cancer. She also commended her mom for her strength throughout the treatment process, which included a total of three surgeries, along with alternative treatments, radiation, and chemotherapy, to remove the cancerous tissue.

Thankfully, Danner notes she is “fine and dandy now," adding that she’s “lucky to be alive.”

These days, the Emmy-winning actress revels in spending time with her children and grandchildren, in addition to working with the Oral Cancer Foundation to raise awareness of oral cancers.

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