Avengers' star Cobie Smulders has discussed her private battle with ovarian cancer for the first time.
In the May issue of Women's Health the 33-year-old Canadian actress revealed that she was diagnosed with the disease during the third season of How I Met Your Mother when she was only 25.
"I had tumours on both my ovaries and the cancer had spread into my lymph nodes and surrounding tissues," Smulders recalled.
She underwent multiple surgeries over the course of two years in order to remove the cancerous tissues.
Shortly after, she gave birth to her daughter Shaelyn, now 5, with husband Taran Killam. The couple welcomed a son in January.
"I don't think I'll ever feel like I'm cancer-free," Smulders admitted. "Now that I'm five years out, I'm trying to think of it as a positive thing and what can I learn from it. And if I can create more awareness, I'll do it."
