Stanley Tucci Says Battling Cancer Following First Wife’s Death Was ‘Awful’, But He’s ‘Happier’ Now

Stanley Tucci is stronger than ever following the death of his first wife Kathryn and after navigating his own war with cancer.

The 64-year-old actor battled tongue cancer back in 2017 after losing Kathryn to breast cancer in 2009. Despite his “awful” personal struggles, Tucci is feeling more joyful about life.

“It was awful to go through it after my wife had died and friends had died, but I am happier than I was before,” the Hunger Games alum told The Times in an interview published on September 27.

The cooking connoisseur is currently married to friend and former Devil Wears Prada costar Emily Blunt’s sister, Felicity, 44. He shared son Nicolo, 25, and daughter Camilla, 23, with Kathryn, and is also a father to son Matteo, 10, and Emilia, 7, with Felicity. The couple tied the knot in 2012.

Tucci is now in remission and previously underwent six doses of chemotherapy. He had lost about 35 pounds during his “pretty horrific” illness and had to utilize a feeding tube.

Now, however, “I really can’t go more than 24 hours without [exercising], I’m in much better shape than I was before I got sick,” he explained.

“I have a stronger sense of self,” he added. “In 15 years I’ll be 80 years old and there’s a lot of stuff that I want to do before then.”

Tucci got candid about Kathryn’s untimely passing in 2021 and reflected on the precious time he spent with her. “It’s still hard after 11 years,” he revealed to CBS Sunday Morning at the time. “It’s still hard. And it will always be hard. But you can’t let it. [She] would never want any of us to sort of wallow in that grief and let it take over our lives.”