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Marianne Faithfull Has Hepatitis C
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After beating breast cancer, Faithful reveals she has Hepatitis C.
Oct 12 2007
SIXTIES icon Marianne Faithfull yesterday revealed she has the potentially deadly virus hepatitis C.
Yesterday the singer revealed for the first time that she has been diagnosed with the disease, which can cause liver cancer and cirrhosis.
The singer and actress told ITV's This Morning that the risks she took as a youngster could have killed her.
Marianne Faithfull says health is 'precious'
Miss Faithfull, a former drug addict, did not say whether she had picked up the virus during her heroin habit in the 1970s or subsequently.
Asked if she missed the wild days of the 1960s, the former muse of Mick Jagger replied: "I don't miss the drugs. I suppose it would be nice to have a glass of wine or something. But it really wouldn't be good for my health."
After a pause, she said: "You know, I do have Hep C. And the worst thing for that is alcohol.
"Maybe I've given you a scoop there", she added.
Heyday: The actress and singer was an icon in the Swinging Sixties
Talking about her heyday, Marianne, 60, said: "I don't miss the drugs. I suppose it would be nice to have a glass of wine or something.
"But it really wouldn't be good for my health. You know I do have hep C. And the worst thing for that is alcohol."
She then sighed: "Stupid."
Marianne added: "Every part of my life has been interesting and wonderful in a way.
"I just took a lot of risks, I think. I was incredibly lucky. I shouldn't be alive, I know that."
Marianne said they discovered she had hepatitis C about 12 years ago when she was receiving treatment for something else.
She is recovering from breast cancer, diagnosed last year. "I was really lucky and they found it really early.
"But still it's a very frightening experience and it humbled me."
She said: "My breast cancer was minimal. I had the smallest possible thing you could have. They found it really early.
"I realised how lucky I was to be alive at all and how stupid I'd been to be so reckless with my life and my health."
Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson, Dallas star Larry Hagman and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler also have the virus.
It is transmitted by body fluids through unprotected sex and sharing needles. It can lead to cancer or cirrhosis of the liver.
Hepatitis C is contracted either through a contaminated blood transfusion or by sharing hypodermic needles.
There is no vaccine or standard treatment for the condition, which can cause liver damage, cirrhosis and even liver cancer.
Marianne Faithfull
Film star: Marianne Faithfull's name was synonymous with sex
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