Former Bond girl Talisa Soto was diagnosed with breast cancer during the pandemic, her husband, actor Benjamin Bratt, has revealed. Bratt spoke publicly for the first time about his wife’s health during an appearance on the Today show on Thursday, noting that the License to Kill and Mortal Kombat actress is currently considered “cancer-free.”
“This is something I typically would keep close-held, but through the pandemic, through self-exam and then by going to her yearly mammogram, she discovered that she was positive for breast cancer,” Bratt, 58, shared.
The former Law & Order star added that Soto, 54, hopes her experience will remind others “that it’s important to get your screenings yearly, that you have to self-advocate for yourself and take care of yourself. Not just eating well, but you have to get to the doctor and make these exams a part of your regular life.”
Now starring in the new HBO Max miniseries DMZ, Bratt said that Soto has responded well to treatment, though they remain “on guard.” His wife’s scare has also made him more proactive about his own health, including scheduling a long-delayed colonoscopy.
“She’s doing great,” he said. “The medication rocks the hormonal system a little bit but the good news is, she was found to be cancer-free at this point. So we’re just on guard to make sure it doesn’t come back.”
Bratt and Soto wed in 2002, a year after they played lovers in the 2001 biopic Piñero. He was previously in a relationship with actress Julia Roberts, while Soto’s marriage to Saw actor Costas Mandylor ended in 2000. The couple share two children, 19-year-old Sophia and 16-year-old Mateo.
Speaking to Today, Bratt couldn’t resist gushing about his spouse, calling her “an amazing woman” who is “very easy to love” and “as beautiful inside as out.”
