TV Complaints, activism, divorces and a harsh disease: what happened to the actresses of Charmed

This 2023, the series marks the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Charmed, the well-known series that described the lives of three witches: Phoebe, Prue and Piper Halliwell, who were played by Alyssa Milano (50), Shannen Doherty (51) and Holly Marie Combs (49)

TV Complaints, activism, divorces and a harsh disease: what happened to the actresses of Charmed

This 2023, the series marks the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Charmed, the well-known series that described the lives of three witches: Phoebe, Prue and Piper Halliwell, who were played by Alyssa Milano (50), Shannen Doherty (51) and Holly Marie Combs (49).

On screen, the three actresses seemed complicit, attuned (Combs and Doherty had been friends since 1988). But in real life, the story was different: Alyssa and Shannen got along like cat and dog and that negatively influenced the atmosphere of the shoot. In fact, in the third season, Doherty asked that her character be "eliminated" so that she could finally leave the series.

Thus, in 2001, Rose McGowan (49) debuted in Charmed as Doherty's replacement, but in another character: that of Paige Mathews, a bastard sister, whom the Halliwells did not know. Even with the new signing, the production tried to win Doherty back and bring her back to participate in the series finale... But they failed.

Following her work on Charmed, Shannen Doherty has starred in seven films and 12 series, including North Shore, the Beverly Hills reboot, 90210, and the comedy Heathers. However, since 2015 she has slowed down her work rate due to a breast cancer diagnosis. Eight years ago, the American she received the hard news and in less than 12 months she underwent surgery to undergo a mastectomy.

Subsequently, Doherty underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and fortunately, her cancer remitted. But, in 2020, the disease reappeared. "I have come to tell you that my cancer has returned and that I am in stage four. It is not something that I can process. It is a bitter pill in many ways. But life does not end with this diagnosis. I still have a lot to live for," he said in Good Morning America.

Since then, Doherty has become a visible face in the fight against cancer. She has recounted her experience in numerous interviews and, in 2021, she claimed to feel more alive than ever. "Kurt Iswarienko, my husband, says that nobody would ever guess that I have cancer, because I don't complain anymore. It's part of my life at this point," she told People, with great courage. The same one that her former enemy Alyssa Milano praises her.

"When I heard her diagnosis, I contacted her. She is a good actress and I wish I had felt strong enough to recognize that when we were working together," Milano said when launching her book Sorry Not Sorry, in which she reveals some of her life experiences. Among them, her divorce with Cinjun Tate and her marriage to artist agent David Bugliari, with whom she has two children.

On the other hand, since the end of Charmed, Milano has participated in important productions, such as My Name is Earl, Mistresses and Insatiable. But Alyssa has generated more headlines for starting the movement.

During the same time, another of her companions also began to fight a similar battle. This is Rose McGowan, who -on October 12, 2017- assured that Harvey Weinstein had raped her and that those responsible for the production to which both were linked turned a deaf ear. "I told them over and over again and they told me there was no proof. But I was the proof myself," McGowan explained.

A week later, the interpreter went to the Detroit Women's Convention, where she launched a powerful speech against Weinstein and all the harassers in Hollywood. "I've been silenced for 20 years. I've been labeled anyone, I've been harassed, I've been slandered... And you know what? I'm exactly the same as you. What happened to me can happen to all of us. So that this cannot continue. It will not continue", he pointed out, unleashing an ovation.

McGowan became the most prominent face of the movement

Who is happy to have offspring is Holly Marie Combs. After parting ways with Brian Smith in 1997, Holly found stability with David W. Donoho. A former Charmed technician, whom she married on Valentine's Day, in 2004. Together, the Donohos had three children. Although, they broke up in 2011, due to irreconcilable differences. The celeb found love again and in 2019 she went down the aisle with businessman Mike Ryan.

Elsewhere, Combs has had a prolific career on television. For example, between 2010 and 2017, she played Ella Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars and has produced numerous films and documentaries, including Why Just One and Sharkwater Extinction. Similarly, Holly Marie has stood out for her animal activism. Especially, related to the release of animals in captivity, such as orcas.

Normally Holly Marie Combs is shown as the most "quiet" of the protagonists of Charmed. But, in 2018, the star pulled out her claws and spoke out against the CW doing a reboot of her series and "taking advantage of her success." "I think remakes can only be called that if they're the same as the original. If not, they're just a new show," she said.

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