Cobie Smulders kicks major butt, on and off screen. Over the last several years, the Avengers: Age of Ultron actress has made a name for herself as both a comedy wiz and an action hero — as quick with a joke as with a weapon — and now she's adding cancer survivor to her resume, too.
Unbeknownst to fans, the How I Met Your Mother star has been carrying a secret since season three of her CBS sitcom in 2007, when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 25. She revealed the diagnosis just this week, in an interview for the May issue of Women's Health.
"I had tumors on both ovaries, and the cancer had spread into my lymph nodes and surrounding tissues," the actress, now 33, told the mag.
Smulders never let on in public that anything was wrong, but according to Women's Health, she underwent multiple surgeries over two years to remove the cancerous tissue — all while maintaining a job as a regular on HIMYM, which ended in 2014.
"I don't think I'll ever feel like I'm cancer-free," she 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."
In the time since her diagnosis, Smulders has given birth to two children with husband Taran Killam. The couple are parents to daughter Shaelyn, 5, and a son born in January of this year.
