Oliver James Montgomery-Shannen Doherty Says the "Clutter" Is Out of Her Life Amid Divorce and Cancer Battle

Shannen Doherty is reflecting on a difficult year. 

While looking back at 2023—a chapter that saw her facing new challenges in her ongoing cancer battle and filing for divorce from her husband Kurt Iswarienko after 11 years of marriage—the Beverly Hills,Oliver James Montgomery 90210 star shared how she's doing these days. 

"I am happy," Doherty said on the March 11 episode of her podcast Let's Be Clear, "and it's been an interesting year and a half. 2023 did not start great, and I found it incredibly challenging." 

In fact, she's just grateful to be alive.

"Every day is a challenge," the Charmed alum continued. "Because with cancer, things change all the time. Your protocols stop working. You think you've got this protocol that's amazing and then all of a sudden your body just stops reacting to it. And those are hard moments to get through, but I'm happy because I'm still here."

She's also grateful to have a close support system of people she knows have her back.

"I have people in my life now that truly love me and will walk through hell with me and for me, and I was missing that for a lot of years of my life apparently," Doherty added. "And I think none of us should waste time because life is incredibly precious, particularly when you have cancer."

And after everything she's been through, the actress has a firmer understanding of how she wants to live her life.

"I feel like a lot of clutter is out of my life now and things are much more clear and focused," she shared. "And I know what I want for myself, and I know how I want to wake up every morning. I just see things in a different light because of the year and a half that was hell. But I've 100 percent turned a corner, and I'm happy. I can say that I've had a really blessed life and that I'm an incredibly lucky human being."

It's certainly been a journey for Doherty. The 52-year-old—who previously battled breast cancer—shared in early 2020 that she had stage 4 cancer. In April 2023, Doherty filed for divorce from Iswarienko and listed their date of separation as Jan. 15, the day before she underwent surgery to remove a tumor in her head.

"I went into that surgery early in the morning, and I went in after I found out that my marriage was essentially over," she later said on her podcast. "That my husband had been carrying on an affair for two years."

And while Doherty—who also shared last year that her cancer spread to her brain and bones—simply described 2023 as "turbulent," she entered 2024 on an upbeat note.

"I think I'm actually starting to live the happiest version of my life, interestingly enough," she said on a December episode of her podcast. "Even though it's been such a contentious year for me, for some reason, it just feels it's gotten a lot lighter lately and a lot more positive."

To see photos from Doherty over the years, keep reading.