Actress Cynthia Nixon survived her battle with breast cancer by turning away from the limelight of Hollywood, choosing instead to cope with the disease in silence. The Sex And The City star was starring in New York play Rabbit Hole when she was diagnosed in 2006, and chose to completely focus her attentions on the project - even scheduling her surgery for Sundays, so she wouldn't miss a single performance during her show's run.

She recalls, "I didn't want to make it public while I was going through it. I didn't want paparazzi at the hospital."

And Nixon insists she wasn't surprised when she discovered she had cancer, because her own mother suffered from the disease when the actress was just 12 years old.

She admits, "I always sort of thought I was going to get breast cancer. (That) there's a really good chance."

Nixon, who credits her longtime partner Christine Marioni and her two young children with helping her through the traumatic experience, now serves as a spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, encouraging women to get tested and treat the disease while it's still in its early stages.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)