Renee Zellweger Reveals Her Cancer Scare In 1996

Renee Zellweger has revealed she had a cancer scare in 1996. The "Leatherheads" star immediately made an appointment to see a doctor after finding two small lumps on her right breast.

She said: "I thought, 'Oh, I know what you do now. You find out what that is.' So I went and found out."

While medics found she had benign breast tumors called fibroadenomas, which Renee refers to as "a fancy word for nothing", they decided to operate to ensure their full removal.

Renee added to Self magazine: "I was like, 'Let's just have it over with. Get in there, stab away, get your little crunchy bit or whatever you're looking for, put it in the mail and we'll call it a day.'"

"Then I had a weird couple of days waiting for the phone call."

The 39-year-old actress - whose grandmother died in 1969 after battling cancer - revealed the incident inspired her to have regular check-ups to make sure the tumors do not return.

She said: "I pay attention, I do go get my check-ups."