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Back in February, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi revealed her cervical cancer diagnosis.
It was a shock to the 38-year-old Jersey Shore star and to her fans.
Now, she’s opening up about her treatment plans, including an upcoming hysterectomy.
It’s scary. But fear is what had her avoiding screenings until it was almost too late. She can do this.
Stage 1 cervical cancer
Speaking to People, Nicole Polizzi explains that she reacted to her stage 1 cervical cancer diagnosis in a very understandable way.
“I had a breakdown,” she described. “I got to my car and I called my mom hysterically crying, thinking the worst.”
She revealed that she had ignored her doctor’s advice, putting off getting a new Pap smear for over a year before this appointment.
That bad news came in February. The good news is that it hasn’t spread.
The more complex news is that Polizzi will need to undergo a hysterectomy in these coming months. After that, she won’t need any further treatment.
“I was scared,” Polizzi admitted.
“But you know what?” she continued. “It’s not the worst case and I can still deal with it.”
Polizzi affirmed: “I’m gonna be fine.”
A cancer diagnosis is always scary. And a hysterectomy is major surgery.
However, it sounds like her prognosis is good. She also has the financial means and support system to undergo surgery and recover without upending her life.
There were warning signs, but she avoided painful screenings
Polizzi recalled that, starting about four years ago, she began receiving abnormal Pap smear results.
Doctors found precancerous cells, which were “nothing crazy,” as she put it.
Still, her doctors had her come in for screenings six times as often as the normal recommendation — every six months, rather than every three years.
But, more recently, Polizzi began putting off the uncomfortable screenings.
“I ended up not going for like a year and a half because it’s uncomfortable, it’s not fun,” she admitted.
“I knew something bad could happen,” Polizzi confessed, “but instead of dealing with it, I just pretended it wasn’t happening.”
In 2025, her doctor did not give up. That professional persistence may have saved her life.
“My doctor was leaving me a voicemail screaming at me like, ‘You need to get in here. This is serious. You don’t want it to escalate.’ That’s when I finally went in,” Polizzi described.
She underwent a colposcopy and a cone biopsy, which found “severe cancer cells.” Fortunately, they found them in time.
“Even though I’m done having kids, the thought of not being able to really upset me,” Polizzi said of her upcoming colonoscopy. “It messes with you a little bit.”
Still, she affirmed: “I have a ton of people that are here for me and they love me.” They’ll support her through this journey, including her recovery.
Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi Plans Hysterectomy After Cervical Cancer Diagnosis was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.