Shannen Doherty said her years-long cancer battle prompted her to “take stock” of her life — and her multiple storage units of unused antique furniture.
The “Charmed” alum, who is battling Stage 4 breast cancer, revealed she is letting go of some of her finds to help fund more memory-making trips with her mother and loved ones. Doherty said cutting back on her assets will also help “make things clean,” just in case she precedes her mother, Rose Elizabeth Doherty, in death.
“I’ve accumulated too much crap,” Doherty admitted Monday on her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast
She added: “Do I need to have three dining room tables? The answer is no, none of us really need all the stuff that we have, and we could all do with a little bit of downsizing and not be a hoarder, which I was becoming with all my furniture.”
Doherty, 52, said the revelations about downsizing came as she began cleaning up a property she had in Tennessee. In case of her death, the actor said doesn’t want leave her mother puzzling about what to do with “four storage units filled with furniture.”
When deciding to get rid of the excess furniture and letting go of her Tennessee home, Doherty said she felt she was “giving up” her dream of building an animal rescue and “throwing in the towel” on her cancer journey.
After the initial grief of letting go, Doherty said she took comfort in knowing she could carry out her animal-rescue aspirations by working with other rescues, and that selling her unneeded furniture could go toward her “bucket fund.”
“I get to take my mom on vacations because I’ll have all this extra money lying around, and I’m not digging into the money in my savings that’s going to make sure everybody in my life is taken care of once I’m dead,” Doherty said. During the podcast, she recalled her mother’s teary reaction to a mother-daughter trip to Italy.
Doherty’s mom won’t be the only one benefiting from the “90210” star’s downsizing. She said she will also spread the love to her friends and loved ones — people who will care for her mother if she dies.
With long-stored furniture paying for prospective cross-country and overseas trips, Doherty added that the downsizing will benefit one other person: herself.
“I’m cleaning stuff up so I can have a better quality of life,” she said.
Doherty, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, revealed in 2023 that the cancer had spread to multiple parts of her body. In June 2023, it had metastasized to her brain, and in November 2023 to her bones.
For years, the “Heathers” actor has been open about her cancer journey, but it in recent months she has seemingly thought more about her own mortality. In January she revealed that she has already envisioned her funeral, which she wants “to be like a lovefest” — with some exceptions.
“I don’t mind my fans showing up,” she said in January about potential attendees. “Those are the people who have supported me my entire life and my career. And I love them.”
Former Times staff writer Emily St. Martin contributed to this report.
