Émilie Dequenne gave news regarding her fight against cancer. Alas, they are not good. The illness she has been facing since 2023 is in a very aggressive form and the actress announces that she will have to undergo chemotherapy again.
Immense courage in the face of increasingly aggressive cancer. Emilie Dequenne, 43, reveals that she is the victim of a relapse of her cancer. The 43-year-old actress, discovered in “Rosetta” by the Dardenne brothers – a film which won her the best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999 at just 18 years old – learned the heartbreaking news only a day before her interview for the show “Sept à Huit” during which she spoke this Sunday.
Asked about her state of health, she revealed that things were no longer going in the right direction. “It turns out that unfortunately things are not progressing well. There is a part of my cancer that responds, another that does not respond, or even progresses. The part that progresses is bigger than the part that reduces,” she said, indicating that she would have to undergo treatment again. “And here I am again, off to the chemo that I went through a little over a year ago. With a small dose in addition of something new which, it seems, will surprise the tumor, but which requires hospitalization and I will lose my hair again…”, she said with tears in her eyes.
“Deep down, I know I won't live as long as I expected. (…) I am only 43 years old. I have always dreamed of living to be at least 80 years old and falling asleep permanently in my sleep. That’s what I’m asking,” she said, relying on doctors’ instructions. “I trust medicine. (…) I hope that research for my cancer will continue to advance,” said the actress suffering, as reported by AFP, from adrenocorticoma, a malignant tumor of the adrenal gland, for which the prognosis is poor. 'all the darker as this tumor is large.
A heavy operation
In October 2023, Emilie Dequenne revealed on Instagram that she was suffering from a rare form of cancer: “Since mid-August, when I underwent a major emergency operation, I have continued to treat myself. It's not easy every day, but I am determined to beat this rare cancer that has decided to turn my life upside down. I won't let it happen. Believe me!”, she wrote. The actress, who was then due to shoot several films until the end of 2023, had to put all her projects on hold after having this medical intervention.
About the discovery of her illness, she told TF1 on Sunday: “At the same time, my world collapsed, I told myself that I was going to die… Instantly, I wrote my will. At the time, I write down wishes, little things that come to me, if something happened to me… About what I want, buried, not buried… I still don't know what I want, it's complicated. I don’t want to just die!”
After her first chemotherapy, last April, the actress shared a message of hope by announcing: “Complete remission. Thank you all for your good vibes, your messages of love, and your prayers from all walks of life. The battle is not over. I am under very close surveillance and undergoing treatment, but my morale is of steel. What am I saying, a joie de vivre worthy of a princess who talks to birds! So you always have to believe it! Come on, we don’t give up! Never”. Unfortunately we were talking about “remission, not cure”, she stressed on Sunday.
The respite was only very short-lived since last August, Emilie Dequenne confided that she had to focus on her health again. “Unfortunately, I have to focus on my health again. For this reason, I will not be able to honor some of my upcoming obligations… I will obviously keep you informed, and I hope to see you soon! Thank you again a thousand times for all your messages, full of love. I’LL BE BACK,” she promised her many fans who showed their support for her on social networks.
