Susan Lucci opens up about how her heart recovers after an emergency procedure and the death of her husbandHuber helmet.
Sitting down with ET’s Rachel Smith for “The grEaTs,” the 77-year-old actress provided fans with an update on how she’s doing as she embraces this next chapter of her life — and whether or not she’s open to finding love again after losing her husband of 84 years in 2022.
For the All my children For the star – who was married to Huber from 1969 until his death – it would be extremely difficult for her to return to the limelight after already finding the love of her life at just 23.
“I know everybody’s different, I can’t imagine it, you know?” Lucci — who previously shared that the casting producers of The Golden Bachelorette I contacted her about her role on the reality TV show – said of her new romantic relationships. “You never say never, but I just can’t imagine it.”
Since the death of her husband, an Austrian chef, two years ago, Lucci has devoted much of her time to reading books on coping with loss and ways to move on. While she knows it’s possible to find love again after loss, it’s not the path for her, at least not right now.
“It’s different for everyone and, you know, part of it is choosing to pick yourself up and put one foot in front of the other. I mean, it’s better to move on with your life,” she shared with ET. “The other thing is I know that this life is a gift, it’s supposed to be a gift from God and I’m never going to thumb my nose at that — I’m grateful. And I’m very grateful for love and for having Helmut in my life.”
Over the course of their half-century-long romance, the couple has built a wonderful life together and welcomed two children, Liza Huber and Andreas Huber. Lucci told ET that the secret to their enduring relationship and marital success is no secret at all. Lucci said that for her, it all comes down to being with the person who completes her.
“He always made me laugh and he was always there for me. He was a rock and very confident,” Lucci said of her “wonderful” husband. “He was very funny, very confident in a good way and very responsible, which is what we wanted him to be.”
She continued: “He was one of those people you wanted to lead because he knew what to do and how to make things happen. And at the same time, he came from such a good place.”
For now, Lucci is happy to hold on to her precious memories of Huber. That includes saying no to The Golden Bachelorette — though she admits that just because she won’t be there anytime soon doesn’t mean she won’t be sitting down for the season premiere on September 1.
“I tried it, I was immediately hooked,” Lucci said of the ABC reality series. Instead, the show will be led by former Golden Single competitor Jeanne Vassos for its first season. “I think I’m just a fan… it wasn’t for me but it’s something I enjoy watching.”
Apart The Golden BacheloretteLucci is using this new era in her life to figure out what’s important to her — a category that includes focusing on her happiness and health, especially after undergoing two major heart surgeries in the span of four years.
In 2022, just weeks before Huber’s death, the actress and philanthropist revealed that she had undergone a second procedure for heart disease after the first. heart fear in 2018At the time, she reported experiencing symptoms including shortness of breath and discomfort in her chest and back.
For the second procedure, she rushed to the hospital to discover she had a 75% blockage in one of her arteries due to plaque buildup. Doctors eventually used a stent on her heart to open up the blockage and try to prevent future problems.
This came after she had already undergone another major open heart surgery in 2018. In 2019, the All my children star revealed to ET that the blockage the first time was even more serious and life-threatening.
“It turned out I had a 90 percent blockage in my main artery and a 75 percent blockage in an adjacent artery, and so they told me the next day, ‘You just avoided a widower who makes widowers,’” she told ET at the time, thanking her doctor for telling her to go to the hospital. “I didn’t know! I had no idea.”
According to CDCHeart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States. In 2021, about one in five female deaths in the United States were attributed to the so-called “silent killer.”
Today, Lucci is feeling great and healthier than ever. She is working to raise awareness about this deadly problem and advocate for women around the world (including herself) when it comes to their health.
“I’m in great shape and I feel great,” Lucci said. “I had a blockage, a 90 percent blockage in my main artery and a 75 percent blockage in the adjacent artery. And luckily I listened to my body and there was someone there (his doctor) who was able to push me to go to the hospital.”
“If I hadn’t gone, I was told the next day when I was tested that 99.9 percent of the time I would have had black widow syndrome. If I had lain down, I would never have gotten up,” she said of her condition. “I was doing what a lot of women do, I kept thinking, ‘Oh, it’ll pass, it’s nothing, it’ll pass.’”
Moral of the story: prevention is better than cure, especially when it comes to your health.
“What I took away was to tell women to put themselves on their to-do list, listen to their body, and if it’s not behaving the way it’s normal for them, take action,” she said. “The doctor won’t blame you for coming if nothing happens.”
Thanks to the doctor she says “saved her life,” Lucci now has the opportunity to continue her full and exciting life. That includes a role in Apple TV+’s new dark comedy, Resultwhich is directed and co-produced by Jonah Hill. The screenplay also comes from the mind of 21 jump street star, who wrote it alongside Ezra Woods.
“It was a spectacular experience, I’m so glad I did it and got to work with Jonah,” she said of the project. “Jonah Hill wrote a very powerful script – it’s a dark comedy, a very dark comedy – but it’s really a gem and I’m very lucky to have worked with him.”
The release date for the film, which also stars Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz, Matt Bomer, David Spade, Laverne Cox, Kaia Gerber and Roy Wood Jr., among others, has not yet been determined.
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