Julia Louis-Dreyfus shared her cancer battle story in order to push for affordable health care

And now, Julia has said she decided to be open about her journey because she realised how much different the process would have been if she wasn’t privileged enough to be able to afford the hefty costs of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

She said: “I think it’s an important conversation to have about health and health care. I very much considered the notion that as someone battling this disease, the idea that I might not have health insurance, which I do thanks to my great union, is completely terrifying.

“Health care should be for all. I believed that before and now I really know it.”

Julia returned to filming on ‘Veep’ earlier this year after filming was postponed so she could undergo necessary treatment for her illness, and said once she told the cast and crew of the show what she was going through, it became easier to tell social media.

Speaking during an appearance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, she added:

“First and foremost, we had stalled ‘Veep’ production because of my situation. A lot of people worked for me, so I knew I really couldn’t keep it private because I had to tell everybody what was going on.

“I got a lot of positive feedback. I think people liked that I had a sense of humour about it.”

Meanwhile, Julia recently said she was “grateful to be alive”.

She said: “I’m grateful to be alive. I’m grateful for my heroic husband and our lovely young boys, or young men, I should say, who are our boys. And my friends and family. I’m grateful I have the life I have.

“It’s just a joy to do what you want to do and have success with it.

That’s happened to me in my life and it doesn’t happen to everybody.

I’m well aware I’ve had a great deal of good fortune.”