Symptoms of hepatitis C as Pamela Anderson recalls being given 10 years to live

Pamela Anderson has recalled the moment she was given a 'death sentence' after being diagnosed with Hepatitis C back in 2002, a condition which can have serious repercussions.

The Baywatch star recently reminisced on her shock diagnosis, speaking at the Venice Film Festival at the amfAR Gala Venezia on Sunday (6 September), where she received the amfAR Award of Courage.

The NHS describes Hepatitis C as spreading 'through contact with infected blood', with common ways of contracting the virus including having medical or dental treatment in a country with poor infection control, and sharing needles.

When Anderson publicly opened up about her diagnosis in 2002, she revealed how she contracted the virus after sharing a tattoo needle with her ex-husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, to whom she was married to between 1995 - 1998.

The NHS also explains that the majority of patients do not experience any major symptoms. Not only that, but symptoms may not start for a long period after infections, sometimes taking weeks, months, or even years to begin appearing.

Pamela Anderson has opened up about her health scare with Hepatitis C (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

The symptoms of Hepatitis C

Early symptoms can include a high temperature, feeling tired, pain in the stomach, no appetite, nausea and vomiting, and jaundice, which is where the skin appears yellow in colour.

If the condition is not treated then the NHS warns that symptoms may develop into extreme tiredness, skin feeling itchy, problems with concentration and memory, and feeling anxious and depressed.

In the longterm the condition can also lead to liver damage - which can be deadly.

Fortunately, Hepatitis C is now treatable with antiviral drugs, which the NHS says can cure the condition in most patients - this is fortunately the case for both Anderson and Lee, who are both now fully cured.

Anderson previously revealed how she contracted the virus when she and ex-husband Tommy Lee shared a tattoo needle (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)

Pamela Anderson's Hepatitis C diagnosis that 'turned her life inside out'

She told the festival that her doctor told her that she 'probably had around 10 years to live', a prediction which fortunately proved to be incorrect as she gave the speech 24 years later.

“It was a death sentence at the time,” Anderson said, per Entertainment Weekly adding: “I’m sure that coloured and corrupted my decisions. It was not fear of death, but fear of what might happen to my young children. It turned my life inside out.”

'It haunts me'

For her part, Anderson said that she was 'free' of Hepatitis C by 2015, but said that to get there is 'took everything I had in my bank', and that she is still processing the long term aftermath of the health scare.

“But my experience of shame and guilt was also an unconscious journey. It stays with me; it haunts me,” she said.

Anderson said she was told she had '10 years to live' (Carlo Paloni/Getty Images)

“And just like the sexual abuse that I endured as a child, it felt like it was carved into my forehead: Damaged goods. And I presented myself as such.”

Last year, Anderson went on to get a nomination for Best Actress at the Golden Globes in 2025 for her performance in The Last Showgirl, and spoke about how she refuses to define herself as a victim.

“My truth has come through my work, finding ways to express myself through the arts,” she said. “It gave me the ammunition I needed, a fertile life to use and play in. I’m not a victim, I’m a victor. I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of … I’m not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play.”

Anderson added: “Courage expands one’s life, while fear diminishes it.”

And it seems that there are more projects coming from Anderson in the future, with the Naked Gun star reportedly currently working on a TV series which will be based on the film Barb Wire.