Pierce Brosnan bravely opens up about losing both his wife and daughter to cancer

Pierce Brosnan bravely spoke about the heartbreak of losing both his wife and daughter as he took centre stage at the Stand Up To Cancer telecast. The actor opened up about how the "insidious disease" had taken both his first wife Cassandra and his adopted daughter Charlotte.

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"To watch someone you love have his or her life eaten away bit by bit by this insidious disease, that part of your sorrow becomes an indelible part of your psyche," he said. "I held the generous, strong, beautiful hand of my  first wife Cassie as ovarian cancer took her life much too soon. "Just last year, I held the hand of my funny, wonderful daughter Charlotte , before she too died from this wretched inherited disease."

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Pierce then announced that Stand Up To Cancer was putting together, what he called, "the first ovarian cancer dream team" – a collaboration with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. "So please call us now, give for the women you love and miss.  I'm giving for Cassie and Charlotte," he said. "Let's build that future where we hold our loved ones hands, watch them grow old as it should be, after a long life fully lived."

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The Stand Up To Cancer event brought together a huge number of A-list stars, from Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba, Alicia Keys, cancer survivor Sofia Vergara, Kevin Bacon, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow. It was also a deeply personal cause for the Shakespeare in Love star, who lost her father Bruce Paltrow to the disease in 2002.

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"Earlier today, one of my dear friends attended his mum's memorial service," Gwyneth said. "In July she was diagnosed with leukemia and died just last week. She was a wonderful person and I'm thinking of you and your family. I hope you're together remembering all the love. "It's what gets me through every time I think about my father. Everyone knows someone who's been affected by cancer, so everyone please give."