Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson announced on Wednesday that she had contracted the potentially fatal liver disease Hepatitis C, after sharing a tattoo needle with former husband Tommy Lee.
Thirty-four-year-old Pam, whose barbed wire tattoo rings her left arm, said in a statement that she had been undergoing outpatient treatment at UCLA Medical Center after being diagnosed with the virus – which kills 13,000 Americans a year – during a routine check-up in December last year.
“I contracted Hepatitis C while sharing a needle with my ex-husband Tommy Lee,” the former Playboy Playmate said. “Tommy had the disease and never disclosed it to me during our marriage.”
Pam, who is now involved with the rock star Kid Rock, divorced Tommy Lee in 1998 follow his arrest for hitting her. The couple were briefly reconciled in April 1999, but parted ways soon after. They are currently embroiled in a custody battle for their two children.
Since the diagnosis, the actress and model has given up drinking and turned her back on the Hollywood party scene. “I really want to stop everything one day just to be with my kids,” she said in a recent interview. “That day will come – and it may come soon.”
Hepatitis C is a virus that leads to inflammation of the liver. Half of those suffering the disease develop cirrhosis, and in 20 percent of cases the virus ultimately leads to liver failure and death.
Friend Julia Bennett, who has known Pam for 15 years, said: “She’s a fighter and has the toughness to get through this.”
Neither Tommy Lee – the former drummer with rock band Motley Crue – nor his publicist was immediately available for comment.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
