Fran Drescher on Trauma, Healing, and the Mind-Body Connection

Nearly four decades after surviving a violent assault, Fran Drescher is speaking candidly about how the experience shaped her mental and physical health. In a podcast interview, the actress reflected on trauma, healing, and why she believes emotional pain can leave a lasting mark on the body.

Fran Drescher believes her past trauma may have contributed to her cancer. The actress, known for her quirky portrayal in "The Nanny," was a victim of sexual assault and was later diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2000.

"I think that the mind [and] body is connected. There's nothing that's autonomous from the other,” Drescher told Ted Danson on an episode of his SiriusXM podcast, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name."

In 1985, Drescher was in her condo with her friend and her husband at the time, Peter Marc Jacobson, when two armed men broke in and sexually assaulted her and her friend before stealing from them. The men were later apprehended and jailed, but the trauma never left Drescher.

The 68-year-old actress admitted she found some "closure" and even wrote about it in her two books, but "It's something that shatters you in a very profound way," and she has never been "fearless" since.

“I'm always a little anxious or nervous or fearful,” she said, adding that she carries a protective alarm at all times. She also revealed she has a large protective dog that helps her feel safe.

Although decades have passed since the assault, Drescher told Danson, “I didn't really completely unpack what I was feeling. I just sort of went back to my life and let these residual neuroses kind of begin to rule me."

Drescher believes that not fully processing the trauma may have played a role in her uterine cancer diagnosis in 2000. “It created a cancer within me and poetically in my reproductive [organs],” she said, adding that the experience reinforced her belief in a strong mind-body connection.

“It got me on a path of feeling my pain much more so than I used to. I used to kind of put it away and just get on with things and thought that that was a sign of strength,” she continued. “But in fact, really strength is to lean into your pain, to allow yourself to feel your pain.”

According to the National Cancer Institute, whether chronic stress is linked to cancer “is not clear,” as studies have produced mixed results. Even when stress appears to be associated with cancer risk, the relationship may be indirect.

People who experience chronic stress may turn to unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, overeating, or physical inactivity — behaviors that are themselves linked to increased cancer risk.

The NCI also notes that laboratory research suggests chronic stress may influence tumor progression and metastasis, but overall evidence that stress directly causes cancer in humans remains weak.

By speaking openly about her experience, Drescher has added her voice to the broader conversation about trauma and health. While experts say there is no clear proof that stress directly causes cancer, research shows that long-term stress can affect the body in many ways.

For Drescher, the journey changed how she defines strength — not as pushing pain aside, but as facing it.