Did Pamela Anderson have Hepatitis C? Baywatch star was once told she would die in 10 years

Pamela Anderson is in the news for her rumored relationship with The Naked Gun co-star Liam Neeson.

The Baywatch star’s love life is seemingly back on track after being tumultuous for years. While Anderson has been married five times, her marriage to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee made multiple headlines for various controversies. The couple parted ways in the late ‘90s but were involved in a custody battle for four years.

In March 2002, Pamela Anderson made a startling claim about contracting hepatitis C from Tommy Lee. She revealed in a statement (via the New York Post):

“Tommy has the disease and never disclosed it to me during our marriage. I contracted hepatitis C while sharing a tattoo needle with my ex-husband, Tommy Lee. A mutual doctor confirmed this at the time.”

According to the Post, she also accused Lee of leaking the news of her being diagnosed with hepatitis C to damage her reputation. Pamela Anderson, who was in the middle of a custody battle with her ex-husband, said:

“I am currently seeking full custody of our two children [Brandon, 5, and Dylan, 4] and there are child-abuse... allegations against Tommy Lee. An investigation into this matter is currently under way. In a pathetic attempt to discredit me, he has decided to go public with this... information.”

The custody dispute between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee was resolved in October 2002. According to Entertainment Weekly, the ex-couple reached a joint custody arrangement. Later, The Last Showgirl star appeared on Howard Stern in October 2003, when she was asked about her condition. Pamela claimed that she was good and seemingly joked:

“I have a good 5-10 years.”

Pamela Anderson announced that she was cured of hepatitis C in 2015

Pamela Anderson once had Hepatitis C—today, she’s cured. 💪
This #WorldHepatitisDay, remember: Hepatitis C is treatable.#HepCTreatmentWorks #HepatitisAwareness #EhealthyInfo pic.twitter.com/8VYNU28SIj

— EHealthyinfo (@EhealthyInfo) July 28, 2025

After more than a decade and a half of struggling with liver disease, the actress shared a significant health update on Instagram in November 2015. Pamela Anderson shared a picture of herself and captioned it:

“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…#dontlosehope.”

Months before her announcement, Anderson told People about her newly prescribed, FDA-approved drug regimen. She told the magazine,

“I’m very fortunate that I’ve had Hep C for about 16 years.”

Pamela Anderson described her diagnosis as a death sentence that she received 16 years ago. The actress remarked:

“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.”

Pamela Anderson recounted during another conversation with People in November 2015:

“Twenty years ago they told me I would die in 10 years. And 10 years into that, they told me I would be able to live with it and probably die of something else, but it all was very scary stuff.”

The actress further shared:

“I’ve been too busy, I think it really hasn’t even hit me yet, but it’s exciting because now I get 20 years back on my life.”

Anderson talked about the then-recent discovery of hepatitis C treatment and revealed that her ex, Tommy Lee, was cured in 2014. It’s been almost a decade since the actress was declared hepatitis C-free.