‘Baywatch’ actress Nicole Eggert blames breast implants for not detecting cancer sooner: ‘Huge mistake’
"Baywatch" actress Nicole Eggert continues to have regrets about getting breast implants at a young age.
Eggert, 52, revealed last month that she is suffering from a rare form of breast cancer called invasive cribriform carcinoma, but now she is sharing that the disease has spread. Doctors recently discovered more cancer in her lymph nodes.
"It's horrible, it's horrible," Eggert told "Inside Edition."
'BAYWATCH' ACTRESS NICOLE EGGERT REGRETS GETTING BREAST IMPLANTS: 'A STUPID 18-YEAR-OLD DECISION'
She candidly spoke out about her symptoms, including feeling pain in her breast, as she discovered a large lump.
"When I felt it, my heart dropped, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God,’" she remembered.
The "Charles in Charge" star argued she may have been able to detect her cancer earlier if she had natural breasts.
"If I didn’t have them, and I had my smaller, natural breasts, I am sure I would have felt it much sooner," Eggert told "Inside Edition."
The actress confessed that at the age of 19, she felt pressured to get breast implants, as she starred alongside blonde bombshell Pamela Anderson, who was recognized for her fit figure.
"When I was on 'Baywatch,' it was very in to be very thin with big boobs. I was the opposite, so I was wearing this red bathing suit that was flattening me, the one piece, it just, it was like ... ‘Oh, man,’" Eggert explained. "There’s nothing you can do. You can’t stuff it."
'BAYWATCH' ACTRESS NICOLE EGGERT DISCLOSES 'ROUGH' CANCER DIAGNOSIS: 'WHO'S GOING TO COVER THE BILLS'
Eggert admitted getting breast implants was a "huge mistake."
"Do the self-exams, and don't get those implants," she suggested.
Before Eggert received her diagnosis, she felt pain in her breast and gained 25 pounds within three months. Believing them to be symptoms of menopause, she was surprised to locate a lump during a self-exam in October.
Results later showed that she had stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer. Both of Eggert's parents had cancer.
In March 2023, the FDA issued an update on reports of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the scar tissue around breast implants, requesting that health care providers submit reports for any cases of cancer in that tissue.
"The FDA is aware of 19 cases of SCC in the capsule around the breast implant from published literature," the update explained. "There have been reports in the literature of deaths from progression of the disease. While the FDA continues to believe that occurrences of SCC in the capsule around the breast implant may be rare, the cause, incidence and risk factors remain unknown."
Eggert has two daughters, Keegan, 12, and Dilyn, 25.