LONDON, April 20: Olivia Williams has shared a deeply personal account of her ongoing battle with cancer, revealing that she will never be cancer-free.

The English actress, best known for portraying Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown and Bruce Willis' wife in The Sixth Sense, opened up about her lengthy and challenging cancer journey in a new interview.

Williams described her initial symptoms of extreme fatigue, chronic diarrhea, and limb aches, which led to a misdiagnosis. For years, doctors attributed her symptoms to lupus, perimenopause, or even suggested she might be suffering from a psychiatric issue. It wasn't until 2018, after visiting multiple doctors, that she was correctly diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her pancreas.

In the interview, she reflected on the frustration of being misdiagnosed for so long, saying, "It took four years and 10 doctors to finally find the cancer. I was told I was menopausal, had irritable bowel syndrome, or that I was crazy—I use that word carefully because one doctor even referred me for a psychiatric assessment." She went on to explain how if the cancer had been detected earlier, a single operation might have cleared it, leaving her able to describe herself as "cancer-free," a term she no longer feels she can use.

Williams shared that she visited around 21 doctors before receiving the correct diagnosis. Despite the successful removal of the initial tumor, she continues to face setbacks with new metastases. "I go in with this optimistic, bright face, and then they give me bad news," she said. "It's like, 'Oh my God, I fell for it again.'" She went on to explain that for three consecutive years, new metastases appeared too close to major blood vessels to be treated with radiation. During that time, doctors chose to monitor the growth of the tumors rather than intervene, which Williams described as a "horrible feeling."

The actress has undergone several rounds of Lutathera, a targeted form of radiotherapy. "I go to a room at King's College Hospital, and people in hazmat suits come in with a lead box of radioactive material, which they inject into me, and I become radioactive," Williams explained. She said that the procedure was intended to buy her some time—perhaps one or two years of freedom from treatment—but it did not have the hoped-for effect of making the metastases disappear.

Now, Williams is using her platform to raise awareness and advocate for early detection of pancreatic cancer. She is supporting Pancreatic Cancer UK and pushing for the development of new diagnostic tests. "I'm not looking for sympathy—I’m looking for a cheap, early test," she said. "Pancreatic cancer is so quick and shocking, and losing someone to it is like losing them in a car crash. Early detection could change that, with a test as simple as breathing into a bag at your GP. We’re incredibly close—we just need to get it over the line."

Williams' candidness about her diagnosis and treatment is not only raising awareness but also highlighting the urgent need for better diagnostic tools to detect pancreatic cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage.