Julia Louis-Dreyfus felt "backed into a corner" to reveal her cancer diagnosis

She told Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast: "Well, I was kind of backed into a corner on that one because we had to shut our show down. "It's funny how that worked out because normally I would not have done that. I'm very private.

"But because we had to shut Veep down for a year, I had to say it. 250 people weren't going to be working. So I had to make a public thing about it."

The podcast host pointed out that "it was very helpful for a lot people" to hear Julia's story.

The Seinfeld star said: "I did have this incredible experience of people reaching out to me, asking me about my experience going through breast cancer for advice and I was able to help.

"There was something unbelievably comforting about being able to do that on the other side of this trauma.

"There is a lot to be said in self-soothing by soothing others, for real. I don't mean to sound all Pollyannaish. I actually think it's true."

Julia found out she had breast cancer the day after she won an Emmy Award in September 2017, and announced 13 months later that she was cancer-free after undergoing a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy.

More recently, she revealed that her health battle and recovery has given her a new focus in life.

She told WSJ. Magazine in 2023: "I find myself living more mindfully. It's not like it's yakking at me all the time, but there's more laser focus."