After recently dealing with her own health issues, actress Kate Beckinsale is back in the public eye and opening up about her family's history with cancer and the parallels she says they have to the royal family.
While appearing and speaking at the King's Trust 2024 Global Gala in New York City on Thursday, May 2, the Underworld star revealed that her mother was a patient at the same hospital where King Charles is being treated for an unspecified type of cancer.
"(My mom) happened to be at the same cancer hospital," she said, referring to a visit her mom made for a recent check-up, People reported. "I hope everyone gets better. I'm f****** sick of cancer, I really am."
The actress went on to say that she's "impressed" by "how open" the monarch has "been about having cancer."
"My mum's got cancer and my stepdad just died of cancer, and I think having a monarchy that is... you know, people kinda go: 'Why've you got it? What's it for?' And all of that," she told reporters. "Then there's this, and actually being really open about quite personal things that I think is really important.
"I'm really impressed that he's doing that," she added.
Beckinsale's biological father, Richard Beckinsale, died in 1979 of a heart attack. Her mother, Judy Loe, eventually remarried and the actress grew extremely close to her stepdad, Roy Battersby. In January, Beckinsale announced her stepdad had also died after “a brief period of illness" via Instagram.
“I have no words yet,” she wrote on Instagram in a since-deleted post. “I fought for you with everything I had. Oh Roy I am so sorry I lost.”
Beckinsale herself has been battling an undisclosed health issue as she spent nearly one month in the hospital.
In since-deleted Instagram posts, Beckinsale documented her hospitalization and seemed to hint at the reason for her prolonged stay, sharing a post that was also deleted of her wearing a t-shirt with the words "Tummy Troubles Survivor" across the front.
"It's been a rough year. Because my parents have both been unwell and my cat ... it's been a bunch of things," Beckinsale told People. "So that's why it's nice to come and see friends and have a little perspective. Everyone's had a bit of a rough year, I think."
