'The Nanny' Star Fran Drescher's Career, Surviving Cancer, and Relationship with Gay Ex-Husband

After “The Nanny,” Fran Drescher has had a difficult time getting an acting gig that re-positions her in the top of the sitcom game. Her personal life has not been easy, either.

Fran’s acting career skyrocketed after being cast as Fran Fine on “The Nanny,” a comedy show that started airing in 1993. One of the reasons the audience loved her so much was her nasal voice and thick New York accent.

FRAN’S OPINION ON WHY “THE NANNY” WAS CANCELED

The first seasons of the show hilariously portrayed Fran Fine taking care of Margaret, Brighton, and Grace Sheffield, the children of Maxwell Sheffield. Unfortunately, “The Nanny” was canceled sooner than expected in 1999.

Years later, Fran explained why she believed the show came to its end unexpectedly: the relationship between her character and Maxwell Sheffield.

She pointed out that when Fran Fine and Maxwell got together, the dynamic of the series changed as it was no longer about Fine and the children but the adults’ relationship.

The actress added that the show should have kept the “sexual tension” between the two because, when the intrigue was gone, the audience lost interest.

FRAN AND PETER’S DIVORCE

1999 was also the year when Fran and her first husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, got divorced. They tied the knot in 1978 and separated in 1996. However, they didn’t officially get divorced up until 1999.

One of the aspects of their breakup that shocked people the most was that Peter came out as a gay man two years after the divorce. Thankfully, Fran has admitted several times that they are good friends nowadays.

During a conversation with People, Fran said that the fact that Peter was hiding his true sexuality made him “angry and controlling,” reasons that made her leave him against his will.

“I needed [the marriage] to end. I needed to find myself outside of the marriage, and he needed to find himself outside of the marriage. He was mad at me for a while,” the actress said.

DEALING WITH UTERINE CANCER

In 2000, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer after being misdiagnosed by eight doctors and dealing with different symptoms for two years. When Peter learned about her diagnosis, he “burst into tears” and let go of all the anger.

“All that was left was the love. And from that point forward, we started to rebuild our friendship,” Fran added.

Thankfully, she beat uterine cancer and has been in remission since 2000 after getting a radical treatment, including hysterectomy. After such a frightening situation, Fran decided to write a book titled “Cancer Schmancer” as a way to raise awareness of the early signs of cancer.

In June 2007, she launched the Cancer Schmancer Movement; a non-profit organization focused on ensuring that all women with cancer get their diagnose while in stage 1.

“We’re very diligent about empowering and motivating people to connect how you live with how you feel. A lot of the disease is primarily because of a highly toxic environment we’re living in,” she said.

FRAN’S CAREER AFTER “THE NANNY”

When Fran left “The Nanny,” she had a hard time finding another significant role in an important project. In 2005, she portrayed Fran Reeves in “Living with Fran.” Although she was very excited about the project, it was canceled after two seasons.

Later, in 2011, Fran and Peter worked together on “Happily Divorced,” a show that fictionalized the time the ex-couple split but remained friends. Sadly, the show got low ratings and mixed reviews and was canceled in 2013.

At the moment, Fran is still very active in the entertainment industry despite not landing major roles. One of the projects she has been working is “Ballmastrz: 9009,” voicing one of the characters of the animated comedy series.

Apart from that, she is expected to play Linda in “Indebted,” an NBC sitcom that is set to premiere in 2020.