How Did Pamela Anderson Get Hepatitis C? Inside the Baywatch Star's Terrifying Diagnosis and Costly Cure

Actress Pamela Anderson has revisited the terrifying hepatitis C diagnosis that once left her believing she had only a decade to live, revealing how the illness affected her family, finances and outlook on life before she was finally declared free of the virus.

The 59-year-old Baywatch star reflected on her decades-long health ordeal while accepting the Award of Courage at the amfAR Gala Venezia on Sunday, 6 September. Anderson said her doctor told her after her diagnosis that she 'probably had around 10 years to live,' a prognosis she described as a 'death sentence.'

How Did Pamela Anderson Get Hepatitis C?

Anderson has long maintained that she contracted hepatitis C after sharing a tattoo needle with her then-husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.

When she publicly disclosed her illness in 2002, Anderson said she and Lee had shared a tattoo needle and alleged that he had the virus but had not disclosed it to her. Lee denied having hepatitis C at the time, meaning Anderson's account of how she contracted the infection should be treated as her allegation rather than an independently established fact.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral infection that affects the liver. Sharing contaminated needles can transmit the virus when infected blood enters another person's bloodstream.

Anderson and Lee married in 1995 and share two sons, Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee.

'It Was a Death Sentence'

Speaking at the Venice gala, Anderson recalled how bleak her prognosis appeared when she was diagnosed in the late 1990s.

'It was a death sentence,' she said, recalling being told she probably had around 10 years to live.

The actress said her greatest concern was not dying itself, but what her illness could mean for her young children. She said the diagnosis 'turned my life inside out' and influenced decisions she made during that period.

Anderson also spoke about the shame and guilt she associated with the diagnosis, saying the emotional impact has remained with her even after overcoming the infection.

How Pamela Anderson Was Cured of Hepatitis C

Treatment for hepatitis C changed dramatically during the years Anderson lived with the disease.

When she disclosed her diagnosis in 2002, she was undergoing treatment and later described an older antiviral regimen involving interferon. By 2015, however, Anderson was taking a newer course of antiviral medication that offered a much greater chance of eliminating the virus.

In November 2015, she announced that she was hepatitis C-free following treatment. At the time, Anderson also highlighted how difficult the newer medicines could be to access because of their high cost.

More than a decade later, she told the amfAR audience that getting treatment 'took everything I had in my bank.'

'I'm Not a Victim, I'm a Victor'

Anderson's latest comments came as amfAR honoured her with its Award of Courage during the 2026 Venice Film Festival. The organisation raises funds for HIV/AIDS research, with hepatitis C also significant because it can occur as a co-infection among people living with HIV.

The actress said she has channelled difficult experiences into her work as her career has undergone a resurgence in recent years.

Reflecting on how she now sees herself after surviving the illness, Anderson told guests: 'I'm not a victim, I'm a victor. I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of.'