Olivia Williams, the talented actress recognized for her memorable performance in The Sixth Sense, has recently shared her arduous journey through misdiagnoses prior to her cancer revelation. During an enlightening interview with The Times on April 19, 2025, the 56-year-old actress disclosed that due to the delays in accurate diagnosis and treatment, she faces a future where she can never fully consider herself “cancer-free.”
In The Sixth Sense, Williams played the role of Anna Crowe, the wife of child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe, portrayed by Bruce Willis, contributing significantly to the film’s haunting narrative.
Williams detailed the onset of her health issues, characterized by severe symptoms such as persistent fatigue, joint pain, and chronic diarrhea, which medical professionals repeatedly underestimated. Over the span of four years, she consulted with ten different doctors across three nations, receiving incorrect diagnoses that varied from lupus to perimenopause. Alarmingly, one physician even recommended a psychiatric evaluation, disregarding her physical complaints.
It was not until 2018 that a specialist in Los Angeles identified her condition as a VIPoma, a rare pancreatic tumor. Unfortunately, by this point, the cancer had already spread to her liver.
Insights from Olivia Williams on Her Health Challenges
Reflecting on her experiences with misdiagnosis, Williams expressed her frustration:
“If someone had f*****g well diagnosed me in the four years I’d been saying I was ill, when they told me I was menopausal or had irritable bowel syndrome or [was] crazy — I used that word advisedly because one doctor referred me for a psychiatric assessment — then one operation possibly could have cleared the whole thing and I could describe myself as cancer-free, which I cannot now ever be.”
Williams also elaborated on the implications of her cancer’s metastasis, acknowledging the profound impact of such news, stating, “anyone involved in the cancer life knows, [it’s] the worst news.”
To combat recurring cancer cells, Williams regularly undergoes “microwave ablation” treatments, which she metaphorically described as “like playing whack-a-mole.” She candidly shared her experiences during check-ups:
“I go in like a puppy with this optimistic, bright face and then they give me bad news, and it’s like, oh my God, I fell for it again. They’ve found new metastases pretty well either just before Christmas or in the middle of a summer holiday. Then, for three years in a row, they started appearing too close to major blood vessels to zap. So there was a period when we were just sitting and watching them grow, which is a horrible feeling.”
Despite the challenges, Williams emphasizes her goal is not to evoke pity but to turn her experiences into advocacy. She is actively campaigning for the advancement of affordable early detection methods for pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, she is supporting Pancreatic Cancer UK, which has been designated as the London Marathon’s charity of the year, to raise awareness and funds for the cause.
Outside of her health battles, Williams is devoted to her family, raising two daughters aged 20 and 17. She practices hot yoga, which not only aids her physical resilience but also serves as a reminder of her body’s incredible endurance. She stated, “I look in awe at my body. What you’ve been through, and you can still walk, run, eat—it’s a miracle.”
Recently, Williams has been seen in the TV series Dune: Prophecy, released in November 2024, as well as in the third season of The Wheel of Time, which just concluded this month.