Sonali Bendre opens up about her battle with cancer: My first thought was to hide it

Sonali Bendre , who revealed the news of her cancer diagnosis in 2018, said that her first thought was to hide it because she thought her “brand” would be over. Bendre told Vogue India  that when she was informed she had fourth-stage cancer and a 30 per cent chance of survival, her worldview changed. She chose to be vocal about her battle with the disease and decided she was “not going to be a martyr or a victim”.

The actress and reality TV judge had shared her dramatic hair transformation on Instagram, when she was undergoing treatment in New York. Bendre said she decided to shave her hair in the bathroom, which was “that very typical meltdown-in-a-shower scene” in the movies.

Bendre also opened up about embracing the scar left after the surgery. “I don’t find it ugly anymore. In fact, I find it beautiful and I don’t know when that shift happened,” she said.

She had kept in loop her fans on social media about the various struggles she faced during her battle with the disease and she previously said it was important to be honest with people about what she went through, including the pain.