Pamela Anderson recently married for the fifth time, and is said to be considering becoming a mum again at the age of 54.
But she almost didn't make it past her thirties, as a rare illness Pamela battled could have killed her if left untreated.
In 2002, Pamela announced she had contracted hepatitis C through sharing tattoo needles with her ex-husband, Tommy Lee, who she was married to from 1995 to 1998.
In 2015, she revealed on social media that she was now free of the illness, celebrating the news with a naked snap.
She wrote: "I am CURED!!! - I just found out #nomorehepc #thankyou #blessing #family #prayer #live I pray anyone living with Hep C can qualify or afford treatment. It will be more available soon. I know treatment is hard to get still..."
In an interview with People that year, Pamela said she had thought she was going to die much younger, though she later claimed she was joking.
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She said: "Sixteen years ago [Hepatitis C] was a death sentence. I think it really worked on my self esteem. Even though I may have looked confident on the outside, I think it really was a dark cloud that lingered over me."
"I don’t have any liver damage and I don’t have any side effects. I’m living my life the way I want to but it could have eventually have caused me some problems and so it was a real blessing that I was able to get the medicine.
"Anyone struggling with a disease that they say you can live with is still — it still plays into a lot of your decisions in your life."
Fortunately for Pamela, she was able to rid herself of the virus using antiviral drugs.
The drug which Pamela took for 12 weeks is known as Sovaldi, costing around $100,000 (£72,879).
Last year, Pamela made headlines when she split from her fourth husband Jon Peters after just 12 days of marriage.
The couple tied the knot after just a few months of dating but Pamela said she needed some "time apart" from Jon, 74, to work things out.
The Baywatch actress told The Hollywood Reporter : "I have been moved by the warm reception to Jon and my union.
"We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to re-evaluate what we want from life and from one another.
"Life is a journey and love is a process. With that universal truth in mind, we have mutually decided to put off the formalisation of our marriage certificate and put our faith in the process.
"Thank you for respecting our privacy."
A source close to the actress said the pair had not yet filed the legal paperwork for a marriage certificate following their wedding on January 20.
The couple had dated over 30 years ago before reuniting.
Now several months into her new marriage to her bodyguard, Dan Hayhurst, it has been reported Pamela wants a third child, a sibling for her sons Brandon, 25, and Dylan, 23, who she shares with ex Tommy.
"Pam wants to start a new family with Dan," a source close to the star told Heat.
"She would love to get pregnant, but knows it would be difficult, although after Brigitte Nielsen had a baby at 54, she's still hopeful.
"But they're also talking to adoption agencies, filling out paperwork, and looking at the surrogacy process. Ideally, they'd love to be parents by the end of the year," the source explained.
The star is famed for her whirlwind marriages, including her unions with Kid Rock, producer Rick Salomon - whom she married twice - as well as producer Jon Peters.
"Pam is crazy about Dan," the source added. "She's always been young at heart, but this new romance has energised and invigorated her more than ever."
What is hepatitis C?
The NHS explains that hepatitis C is is a virus that can infect the liver and, if left untreated, can sometimes cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage to the liver over many years.
But with modern treatments, it is usually possible to cure the infection, and most people with it will have a normal life expectancy.
It is estimated around 215,000 people in the UK have hepatitis C, and you can become infected with it if you come into contact with the blood of an infected person.
What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C often does not have any noticeable symptoms until the liver has been significantly damaged, which means many people have the infection without realising it.
When symptoms do occur, they can be mistaken for another condition.
Symptoms can include:
- flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches and a high temperature (fever)
- feeling tired all the time
- loss of appetite
- tummy (abdominal) pain
- feeling and being sick
The only way to know for certain if these symptoms are caused by hepatitis C is to get tested, so if you are concerned, book in for a blood test with your GP.
The hepatitis C virus is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact, including:
- sharing unsterilised needles – particularly needles used to inject recreational drugs
- sharing razors or toothbrushes
- from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby
- through unprotected sex – although this is very rare
In the UK, most hepatitis C infections happen in people who inject drugs or have injected them in the past, and it is estimated around half of those who inject drugs have the infection.
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