Can't Keep A Good Woman Down

Family Support Helped Actress And Singer Rita Wilson Beat Breast Cancer

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As one half of possibly the most successful marriage in Hollywood, Rita Wilson knows a thing or two about survival.

So it's no surprise that, when the actress, producer and singer-songwriter announced she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer in spring 2015, her longtime spouse, Tom Hanks, was the first person she referenced.

"Last week, with my husband by my side, and with the love and support of my family and friends, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction for breast cancer after a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma," Wilson said in a statement. "I am recovering and most importantly, expected to make a full recovery."

She was certainly under no obligation to share such a private medical battle, despite her fame. She explains why she felt compelled to - especially after receiving her first diagnosis, which falsely claimed she did not have the disease.

After the first diagnosis, "I had a gut feeling," Wilson, 61, recalls. "A girlfriend of mine, who was a two-time breast cancer survivor, told me to get a second opinion on my pathology. I had never heard of a second opinion on pathology. [But] I did that and found out I did have breast cancer."

Once properly diagnosed, Wilson wanted to share the lifesaving lesson she learned.

"I'm happy I shared my experience because I believe we have to trust our instincts about our bodies and also listen to information that may come from an unexpected source. I truly hope that, by sharing it, it's empowered other people to ask more questions, get a second opinion and trust their instincts about their health."

Wilson, who had been starring on Broadway in the Larry David play "Fish in the Dark" at the time of her diagnosis, took a brief leave of absence from the show for treatment and recovery. During that time, Hanks says, their family - which includes sons Chester, turning 28 this month, and Truman, 22, as well as Hanks' children, Colin, 40, and Elizabeth, 36, from a previous marriage - banded together.

"You just clear the decks and you circle the wagons and you join the community and you hunker down," he told the Daily Mail. "It's not that hard to do. It's like when there's a big rainstorm outside, you bust out the hot cocoa and make sure everyone is comfortable."

At first, Wilson admits, she didn't know how her illness would affect her marriage. But, in an interview with The New York Times, she divulged that it actually strengthened it.

"Who knew it would make you even closer? I was so amazed, so blown away by the care my husband gave me," she says. "It was such a normal, intimate time."

Wilson didn't stay off her feet for long. Just a month later, she rejoined the Broadway show. And, in December of the same year, she announced that she was cancer-free.

"I am 100 percent healthy," she revealed at The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Breakfast.

She wasted no time ramping up her work schedule, continuing to appear on HBO's "Girls" - playing the hilariously narcissistic mom to Allison Williams' hilariously narcissistic character, Marnie - and kicking off a singing residency at New York's legendary Cafe Carlyle. On opening night, Hanks reportedly slipped into his seat after the lights had gone down, giving Wilson a full opportunity to shine. Following the residency, she kicked off a national tour in support of her self-titled second album.

So, now that she's healthy, what advice would Wilson offer those facing a similar cancer diagnosis?

"I would encourage using mindful meditation, staying positive [and] know there's a light at the end of the tunnel," she says. "That you're still you, and you can still find things that give you pleasure while you're going through treatment. I would also say rest is important and listening to your body. If you're tired, sleep. If you made plans and need to cancel them, that's OK. It's all part of the process."

Since her own diagnosis, Wilson's self-care has drastically changed - and she's never felt better. She not only lost 20 pounds, lowered her cholesterol and cut down on red meat and alcohol, but she also exercises, meditates and "laughs a lot, which I've always done. That's not going away!"

In the film and television world, she's proven to be quite the comedic force, co-starring in such movie classics as "Sleepless in Seattle," "Now and Then" and "It's Complicated" and appearing on hit television shows like "Frasier" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." She also produced the record-breaking hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and executive produced "Mamma Mia!" and its recent sequel, "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again." Musically, her songs range from upbeat country tunes to slow, melodic ballads.

She loves doing it all.

"With acting, there's a freedom that comes with playing a character," she says. "You can shed who you are and become someone else. With songwriting and singing, it's liberating to know the work you create is wholly yours. You can't blame it on anyone else if it's not working!"

Coming up, she's "excited about a lot of new music I've been writing. I'll have a new album out by the end of the year that I'll be touring with. I also have two independent movies waiting to be released and a television series I'm producing for Amazon."

Even with all that on her plate, Wilson, who's been working steadily for the past three decades, has always made family her priority.

"It's easy to find balance when you want to," she notes. "You don't get to do everything you want when you want it, but it all gets worked out. I grew up in Hollywood, so it's home to me - it's not just a place I work."

And, when either Wilson or Hanks, 62, goes on the road, the other usually follows.

"We have so much fun," she told E! News. "Being on location is one of the greatest things. We've gone all over the world. We've taken our family. We've gotten to live in cities that you normally wouldn't get to live in."

She's equally nurturing of the bond she shares with close pals, especially now that her children are grown and her career is more demanding than ever.

"I wrote an article about this a while ago for the HuffPost," she says. "When your kids are young, so much of [everyone's] lives are built around the children's schedule. You see your friends more regularly because everyone operates on the same calendar. When the kids grow up and have their own lives, you see less of your friends because we're all scrambling to see our kids when we can get them.

"That being said, I rely on my friendships so much, [so] I really make an effort to see [them] and stay connected. Email is great, but there's nothing like one-on-one with someone or getting together with girlfriends or other couples."

For Wilson, all relationships - whether friendship or marriage - boil down to commitment, she told Tom Ford in an interview for Harper's Bazaar: "I never doubt the commitment. There is such value in the depth of your relationships, your friendships, your marriage, your children, all of that. To me, that's what makes you feel safe to go out and pursue the things that are more risky."

Recently, both family and friends came together to help Hanks and Wilson - who met on the set of TV's "Bosom Buddies" in the early '80s - celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary with a party. Among those who made the guest list were Oprah Winfrey, Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien. Chances are, however, Hanks only had eyes for his wife.

"Sometimes," Hanks recently said on a podcast, "I look at that lady in the morning all tousled and warm from bed and her hair all piled up on her head... smokin' hot."

Talk about relationship goals. O