Pamela Anderson has revealed she was given 10 years to live after contracting hepatitis C in the 1990s – a diagnosis that “turned my life inside out”.

“It was a death sentence. That’s what my doctor told me — that I probably had around 10 years to live,” Anderson told the audience at the amfAR Gala Venezia 2026 on Sunday (Italian time).

The 59-year-old Naked Gun star was honoured with a courage award from AIDS research charity amfAR at the Venice Film Festival event.

She has previously revealed she contracted the hepatitis C virus by sharing tattoo needles with ex-husband Tommy Lee, 63. He has since denied her claims.

“Back in the late ’90s, when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, there was no cure,” Anderson said on Sunday.

“I’m sure that coloured and corrupted my decisions. It was not fear of death but fear of what might happen to my young children. It turned my life inside out.”

Anderson and Lee have two adult sons, Brandon Thomas and Dylan Jagger.

Anderson, who rose to fame on TV’s Baywatch, previously revealed her diagnosis in 2002.

Hepatitis C is a liver infection that is spread by contact with an infected person’s blood or through sharing needles and some sexual activities, according to the federal government’s Health Direct site. It warns that many people with hepatitis C have no symptoms until their liver is damaged.

A cure for the disease was discovered in 2011.

“Ten blurry years later, there was a cure. I was lucky,” Anderson said.

“I was offered it in its early stages, and it took everything I had in my bank to pay for it. It wasn’t covered by insurance yet, and I felt tremendous guilt that others weren’t granted the same access.”

Anderson has also spoken previously of taking part in a year-long treatment program approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. In an interview with CNN, she compared the treatment – which she described as injections of an antiviral drug – to a year of “having the flu”.

“Your hair falls out,” she said. “It’s a little kind of chemotherapy.”

In 2015, Anderson announced she was hepatitis C free.

“I’m grateful to say now that I am hep C free,” she said, as the audience applauded. “But my experience of shame and guilt was also still an unconscious journey. It stays with me. It haunts me.”

American health authorities say hepatitis C infection impacts about 50 million people globally, although many people can have it for years before experiencing liver complications.

On Sunday, Anderson said she found ways to reduce stigma, encouraged others to get tested and worked with organisations to bring awareness. Despite all of that, it was still an emotional battle.

“My words did not match my feelings,” Anderson said. “I was angry. I was scared. I went into sabotage mode and just like the sexual abuse I endured as a child, it felt like it was carved into my forehead: Damaged goods. And I presented myself as such. I don’t think I’ve ever fully recovered from that news.”

In the years since her recovery, Anderson has busiest herself with films such as the 2025 reboot The Naked Gun with Liam Neeson and The Last Showgirl – for which she had best actress nominations at the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes.

“I’m not a victim, I’m a victor. I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of,” she said on Sunday.

“I’m not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play.”

She most recently starred in Rosebush Pruning, a satirical dark comedy with Callum Turner, Riley Keough and Elle Fanning.

“My truth has come through my work, finding ways to express myself and heal through the arts,” Anderson said. “It gave me the ammunition I needed. A fertile life to use and play in.”

She also hosts lifestyle and cooking series Pamela’s Cooking with Love, which follows her on Vancouver Island as she teams up with renowned guest chefs to prepare seasonal, plant-based meals for family and friends. She also previously starred in the home-renovation series Pamela’s Garden of Eden.