Actress and television presenter Jewel Mary opened up about the difficult crises she had to face in life. She revealed in an interview with Dhanya Varma that she got divorced in 2024 and had also battled cancer.

"In one word, I’d say — I was married. Later, I got divorced. I’ve been living separately since 2021, and the divorce was finalised last year. It was a long and tough journey to reach that point. I’ve often heard people say that divorce is easy. But for me, it wasn’t like that at all. I had to fight for it, and I succeeded. I struggled for about three to four years. If it’s mutual, you can get it in six months. I tried hard to reach a mutual agreement. But it didn’t work. In the end, I had to fight and claim my divorce. That’s why I call it a battle," Jewel said in the interview.

Just when she began to enjoy life again, cancer came knocking as the next major crisis in her life.

"I thought, at least now, I should start enjoying life. I had gone to London for a show and spent a month there, travelling around. I have friends there. I went to visit them — travelled through England, Ireland and Scotland. It was a liberating, solo journey, full of happiness. I even celebrated my birthday in London.

After all that, I returned home. I had spent nearly all the money I had. But I knew I’d continue working. I’ve had thyroid issues for the past seven years. Any sudden change in weight would be noticeable. Alongside that, I had internal trauma, stress and PCOD. One day, I went for a routine check-up. There weren’t any other complaints. I’d just been coughing a bit more, producing more phlegm than usual. I was constantly clearing my throat — which I thought was just a consequence of using my voice so much for presenting.

The doctor suggested doing a scan. I’ve studied BSc Nursing, so I understand what’s going on when I see it. I noticed the way they marked things — and I sensed something was wrong. My legs started to go cold. Their expressions changed. Then they told me a biopsy would be needed. I couldn't move my legs. I froze. Out of fear, I said no. But they insisted — saying I must not refuse.

The doctor hinted that it could possibly be cancer. It would take 15 days for the biopsy results. Life seemed to slow down completely. After the results came in, they wanted to double-check and another biopsy was done. All that time, I didn’t show any fear in front of my family. I stayed strong in front of them. But when the second result came, I knew things were serious.

The only person I knew in that field was Dr Gangadharan Sir’s wife — Chitra Ma’am. I called her and told her everything. I asked her what to do next. She reassured me — told me not to worry. I had surgery in February. It was a seven-hour-long operation.

After the surgery, I lost my voice completely. I was told it could take six months to come back. My left hand became weak — I couldn't do any physical activity. There was physiotherapy and other treatments involved," said Jewel.

She added that she had no insurance, and had to dip into her savings to pay for all the treatment.

"Six months later, I went for a review. I went in with the mindset that the disease wouldn’t come back. Blood tests were done. A scan was taken. The doctor picked up the report like a school report card and said, ‘Congratulations, you are free of cancer’. The joy I felt at that moment is indescribable. I have been going for reviews every six months now," Jewel concluded.