Rita Wilson reflects on her evolving relationship with her body after her 2015 breast cancer diagnosis and double mastectomy
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Her new album, Sound of a Woman, explores themes of transformation, including motherhood, loss, and healing
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Wilson recently celebrated 10 years cancer-free, expressing gratitude for her doctors, family, and modern medical advancements
Rita Wilsonis reflecting on how her relationship with her body changed after breast cancer.
In arecent PEOPLE cover story,the actress and singer opens up about the challenges she faced following her 2015 diagnosis.
Wilson's sentiments are detailed in the bluesy song"Whose Body Is This?"from her new albumSound of a Woman, which also explores how women may not recognize their bodies after giving birth.
"When you have a baby or when you carry a baby like I did, and you give birth to that life, and then you nurture that life — I nursed both my sons — you really have this extraordinary awe for what your body can do, what it has done, how it's there for you, and it's there for others," says theGirlsactress, 69, who is mom to actor sonsChet Hanks, 35, andTruman Hanks, 30.
The experience was "incredible" for Wilson.
"Even though your body changes and it shifts, and it might look different, you have such an appreciation for it. I remember distinctly just being amazed at what it could do," she recalls.
But when Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy thereafter, she had a very different relationship with her body.
"These parts of your body that had been there for you in such a beautiful way were gone," theThat Thing You Do!star recalls. "I'm very grateful that there are things nowadays in modern medicine like reconstruction and implants, because in my mom's generation, if you had breast cancer, that was it. There was nothing. You were left with sort of a shadow."
Wilson says she spent a lot of time contemplating the paradoxical nature of her body during those years.
"It was interesting to look at my body in that way and see it, understand what is missing, but also [see] what my body could do to keep me healing and healthy and have that appreciation," she says.
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Of her double mastectomy and reconstruction, Wilson adds, "I like to say that I've finally gone Hollywood now and I have some in place."
In March 2025, theNow and Thenstarmarked 10 years of being cancer-freeand spoke about the milestone inan Instagram video.
“It's a celebration for me. March 31st marks 10 years of being cancer-free,” Wilson said at the time. “10 years. And I am so deeply grateful.”
She then shared her appreciation for her doctors, friends and family.
"The gratitude is overwhelming. Didn't always feel this way. And you know that, anybody who's going through [it, or] who's survived knows that it's an up and down, like, hamster wheel. But then you get to this point,” said Wilson.
Wilson released her sixth studio album,Sound of a Woman,on May 1.
Throughout the record, she reflects on the transformative phases of a woman's life, unpacking lessons learned from love, loss and her family.
“Sometimes in music, you can say things that would be harder to say if you were just trying to talk about them,”she said.
For more on Rita Wilson, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.
Read the original article onPeople
