Sofia Vergara has said she is “lucky and grateful” to have survived cancer as she spoke about her shock when the doctors discovered a lump in her throat when she was 28.
The Modern Family star, 49, who held the title of the highest paid actress on American television for her role in the hit sitcom, encouraged people to schedule annual check ups to enable early prevention.
Sharing a photo of herself behind a camera at an acting class, in which a scar across her throat is visible after surgery, she wrote on Instagram: “At 28, ‘Cancer’ was not a word I expected to hear. It was just a routine checkup.
“But the doctors found a lump in my throat, and that word became part of my story.
“I spent countless hours in radiation treatments, and, eventually, in surgery.
“Today, I get to call myself a cancer survivor.”
Referring to the photograph, she added: “This was my first acting class after diagnosis and treatment, and seeing the scar on my throat reminds me of how blessed I felt that day — and every day since.
“I’m lucky and grateful to be in a position to share my story and say: early prevention is so important!!
“Schedule your annual check up for this year if you haven’t already.”
Vergara, who was born in Colombia, is the first Latin judge in the history of competition show America’s Got Talent.
She has spoken openly about how she coped with her thyroid cancer diagnosis in the past.
However, in 2011 she told Health magazine that she did not want any attention while she was dealing with the disease, saying you “don’t want to deal with anything else while you’re going through” treatment.
She added: “I feel very lucky. In a lot of women, the cancer isn’t found until around menopause, and by then it’s too late.”