Kelly Ripa revealed she felt ‘heartbroken’ by her last conversation with Shannen Doherty shortly before her death on July 13.
The 53-year-old television personality, who the late actress joined on her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast in June, opened up about her Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday about the emotional discussion the couple had during the episode.
Ripa explained that over the years she had tried to set up the Beverly Hills, 90210 star with people she knew.
“I always had an idea in my mind about who would be a good match for Shannen,” Kelly said. “But in the last conversation, she said to me, ‘I’m a little bit of a hard sell because I don’t have much time left.'”
‘So I guess that’s what I understood, that I felt crushed because she seemed to know that her time was very, very limited.’
Kelly Ripa, 53, revealed she felt “heartbroken” by her last conversation with Shannen Doherty shortly before her death on July 13.
Ripa, known for hosting Live With Kelly And Mark, said: “I will say that she was telling me about her treatments and it was very brutal and painful.”
“It sounds very superficial, but the fact that she is no longer in pain (physical pain) provides a little peace to all of us who knew and loved her.”
Doherty was first diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in 2015, and was in remission two years later.
However, by 2019, the cancer had returned and the following year she made public her diagnosis of stage four metastasis. In 2023, Shannen broke the heartbreaking news that the cancer had spread to her brain.
Kelly later spoke out about Doherty’s passing at the age of 53, telling ET, “It was painful because we’re the same age.”
“We grew up together and I always thought she was the one who got the most unfair treatment out of everyone in show business. I still believe that and I stand by it.”
At the time of her death, Shannen’s publicist Leslie Sloane issued a statement to People which read: ‘It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty.’
‘On Saturday, July 13, he lost his battle against cancer after many years of fighting the disease.’
“I think that’s what I took away, that I was devastated because she seemed to know that her time was very, very limited,” said Kelly, seen in March in Hollywood.
Ripa, known for hosting Live With Kelly And Mark, said: “I will say that she was telling me about her treatments and it was very brutal and painful.”
‘The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones and her dog, Bowie. The family asks for privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace.’
Ripa also paid tribute to Doherty on Live With Kelly And Mark upon hearing the news of the star’s death. Decider.
“She had just appeared on our show. She had just appeared on the podcast,” the television personality reflected alongside her husband, Mark Consuelos.
“She’s a very brave woman, a very brave girl. If you didn’t know her, you felt like you did, and she was a special person. Unique. I’m very sad to lose her.”
Kelly later recalled a funny moment the two shared: “He said something really funny to me during the podcast.”
She said the worst thing is that people come up to her and tell her that their relatives died because of what she had.
“In an attempt to… because people want to relate. They want to relate to you in some way. Knowing that she was living on borrowed time and people were constantly reminding her that her mother died because of what she had,” Kelly continued.
Ripa added that she “found this card really funny and I sent it to him because it said, ‘When life gives you lemons, I promise not to tell you how my mother died from lemons.'”
Ripa also paid tribute to Doherty on Live With Kelly And Mark upon hearing the news of the star’s death, according to Decider.
“And I thought, ‘This is the card! This is the moment!'” the mother of three added.
“Sometimes when you find these cards, you think, ‘One day I’ll send this to someone and make them smile. ‘ And it did. It made her laugh a lot.”
During the June 25 episode of Ripa’s Podcast Let’s talk off cameraDoherty had spoken about dating when they had an ‘expiration date’.
“I think it’s hard for someone like me, in my personal opinion, because it’s hard to date someone when you know they might have an expiration date,” the actress said at the time.
“I think so, and I don’t think men handle death and illness, most men, I don’t want to generalize and say all men, but they don’t handle any of that as well as women do, so I think I’m a very hard sell.”
At the time, she also gave an update on her battle with cancer, saying: “It’s like being a guinea pig on a wheel.”
During the June 25 episode of Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, Doherty had spoken about dating when you have an “expiration date”; seen in 2019 in Beverly Hills.
‘You know, you just keep spinning the wheel and hope that your protocol lasts a long time and you can get the most out of it.’
Shannen added: “But inevitably, one protocol will stop working and then you have to move on to the next one, and when you move on to the next one, there’s a whole new set of things to deal with.”
Regarding the treatment, the Charmed actress told Ripa that it was “probably one of the most difficult physically.”
Following the news of her death, other tributes poured in as fans and celebrities mourned the loss, including close friend Sarah Michelle Gellar and Doherty’s former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-stars, including Brian Austin Green and Jennie Garth.
