Sharon Stone broke down in tears on Thursday, as she revealed that she had recently lost "half of my money" after "that banking thing".
Although the 65-year-old did not elaborate, as she encouraged guests to text and donate money during the Women’s Cancer Research Fund’s (WCRF) An Unforgettable Evening fundraiser, the actress called herself a "technical idiot".
"I know that thing that you have to get on and figure out how to text the money is difficult. I’m a technical idiot, but I can write a [expletive] check. And right now, that’s courage, too, because I know what’s happening. I just lost half my money to this banking thing, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not here,” she said.
Sharon shared that she had been hit by the "banking thing"
Her comments on losing money come after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank which led to a disastrous week of losses in the stock market. US President Biden told investors early this week that their money was safe, and that the government would not bail out SVB, saying: "No losses will be borne by the taxpayers."
Speaking from the event at the Four Seasons’ Beverly Wilshire ballroom, where she was honored as the recipient of the Courage Award, Sharon also spoke of the importance of women getting mammograms, and revealed her own health challenges.
"Those mammograms are not fun,” she explained. “And for someone like me who was told that I had breast cancer because I had a tumor that was larger than my breast and they were sure that I couldn’t possibly have a tumor without it being cancer, it wasn’t. But I went to the hospital, saying, ‘If you open me up and it’s cancer, please take both my breasts,’ because I am not a person defined by my breasts. You know, that might seem funny coming from me since you’ve all seen them."
She then revealed that she had undergone surgery and no one had even noticed, adding: "So don’t ever feel compelled not to get a mammogram, not to get a blood test, not to get surgery because it doesn’t matter. I’m standing here telling you I had one-and-a-half and more tissue [from] my breasts removed and none of you knew it."
Sharon called on women to undergo mammograms
The actress, acknowledging both the volatile stock market as well as the combative political climate in the U.S., also called on fellow celebrity guests including Rebel Wilson, Maroon 5, Rachel Zoe and Julianne Hough to "stand up and say what you're worth".
"My brother just died, and that doesn’t mean that I’m not here. This is not an easy time for any of us. This is a hard time in the world, but I’m telling you what, I’m not having some politician tell me what I can and cannot do. How I can and cannot live, and what the value of my life is and is not. So stand up. Stand up and say what you’re worth. I dare you. That’s what courage is," she concluded.
Her brother died in February after a battle with heart disease
Sharon's younger brother Patrick passed away at the age of 57 on February 12 2023 - two years after the death of his son, River.
The Hollywood star's sibling died following a battle with heart disease.
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