Henderson 'Heartbroken' Over Harper's Cancer
TV icon Florence Henderson says she was shaken by the recent news of Valerie Harper's terminal cancer diagnosis, but admires the actress for bravely facing her disease in the public eye.
"I'm just so upset about it, it really breaks my heart," the famous TV mom said while attending the Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences 22nd annual Hall Of Fame induction gala last night in Beverly Hills. "I was just shocked to hear that. But she's so brave, I don't know how I would handle that kind of diagnosis." When asked about Harper going public with her diagnosis, Henderson said, "I think she's doing it for the right reasons, I think hopefully to educate people."
Also addressing the topic was The Talk co-host Julie Chen, who said she's going to be interviewing Harper on her show in the coming days. "She has been very courageous already and coming forward to announce this to the world, and we just want to hear how she's feeling, how she's getting by... and what she plans to do in the remaining months that she has left with her loved ones," Chen said.
Fellow The Talk co-host Sheryl Underwood said she remembers watching Harper on her 1970s series Rhoda and always aspired to be a strong woman like her character. "We're not only praying for her, but we want to surround her with a lot of love because she's a very strong woman," Underwood said. "And if anybody can go through this with the class and dignity that she's going through, it's a testament to great women in television."
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Watch the video for more interviews, including director/producer Ron Howard's update on the return of Arrested Development and Chris O'Donnell's reaction to his directorial debut on NCIS: Los Angeles.