‘Baywatch’ Star Nicole Eggert Says ‘Gray Area’ of Her Cancer Journey Has Been the Hardest

Actress Nicole Eggert arrives at the Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff held at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif., on Aug. 1, 2010. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

“Baywatch” star Nicole Eggert is sharing the challenges she encountered on her breast cancer journey.

In an interview with People magazine on Wednesday, Eggert said she is currently in a “gray area” following the completion of treatment and is waiting for the next steps.

“I am good,” she told the magazine. “I am in sort of a gray area, and I finished my treatment, waiting for more imaging and hopefully maybe surgery.”

“And there’s a lot of waiting in this, and it’s sort of something ... nobody really talks about,” she said. “But the gray area is the hardest because you don’t know what’s happening. ... When I’m doing treatment, I felt like I was doing something productive.”

In January, Eggert, 51, revealed that she was diagnosed with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma, a rare type of breast cancer, in December 2023. She recalled having gained 25 pounds and experiencing “terrible pain” in her left breast.

After a “productive” treatment stage, the “Charles in Charge” star said she finds the waiting period “frustrating.”

“I was like, ‘Okay, I’m doing something positive.’ And now it’s just like nothing; it’s like ... wait a minute, we’ve got to get this out. So it’s, it’s just frustrating,” she said.

Eggert said her daughters—Dilyn, 25, and Keegan, 13—have taken the news of her diagnosis “really well,” explaining that they don’t treat her any differently.

“I mean, they kept me on my toes,” she said. “My 13-year-old didn’t give me any special treatment. It was still like, ‘Mom, give me that. Let’s go here. Let’s do that.’

“So she just kept me going and kept it lively. I really loved that about both of them. Both treated it like nothing’s changing, just keep the days the way they are.”

Eggert produced the ABC News docuseries “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” which premiered on Aug. 28. The actress believes her involvement in the project gave her “purpose” amid her health challenges.

“Having a young daughter and having this project has been a great motivation for me to not just sit and think about my health and my wellbeing. It’s giving me purpose,” she said.

“It’s keeping me driven every day. I think the timing of life is always for a reason. It’s been a great distraction, and my daughters kept me on my toes.”

In July, Eggert shared an emotional health update on Instagram. She said her surgeons told her that her body “had a full, complete response” to the chemotherapy.

“There’s no detectable cancer in that area, and I have the green light to go ahead and schedule surgery,” they said.

When initially revealing her diagnosis, Eggert realized that she had to overcome this battle for her 13-year-old despite the financial challenges.

“It immediately made me realize there’s just no succumbing to this. This is something I have to get through. This is something that I have to beat. She needs me more than anything and anybody,” she said.

Eggert’s Career

Born in Glendale, California, on Jan. 13, 1972, Nicole Eggert began acting at a young age. She appeared in the 1981 drama film “Rich and Famous,” and in the sitcoms “Who’s the Boss?” as Marci Ferguson and “Charles in Charge” as Jamie Powell. In 1988, the latter won her a Young Artist Award for “Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Television Comedy Series.”

In 1992, Eggert was cast as one of the several lifeguards featured on the drama series “Baywatch.” Playing the role of Summer Quinn, she appeared in seasons three and four. The actress reprised her “Baywatch” role in the 2003 reunion film “Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.”

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Eggert appeared in more films and TV movies, including “Thank You, Good Night” in 2002, “Decoys” (2004), “Loaded” and “A Christmas Proposal” (2008), and “Where’s the Love?” in 2014.