Fran Drescher Thought She ‘Would Have Been a Good Mom’ - Her Disease Ensured She Would Never Have Kids

Fran Drescher wears many hats. She is an award-winning actress, a Golden Globe and Emmy nominee, a director, a producer, and a best-selling author. However, she has one major regret in life -- never having had kids.

Actress Fran Drescher has had a long-running career that has spanned over the last several decades. She has appeared in many roles in film and TV, including on "Hell's Kitchen" and "Happily Divorced."

One of her most recognized roles remains as Fran Fine on the CBS sitcom "The Nanny." But despite being a beloved caretaker to British Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield's three children on the show, she never had any of her own.

Her lack of children was, however, something out of her control. She underwent a successful radical hysterectomy after a uterine cancer diagnosis in 2000. Sadly the diagnosis ensured she would not become a mother despite surviving the illness. She shared:

"I think I would have been a good mom, and sometimes I think I kind of missed out on that."

"HAPPILY DIVORCED"

The "Alone Together" actress had been married to Peter Marc Jacobson for two decades when the two parted ways. Drescher and Jacobson met when they were 15 and in high school.

The lovebirds got married in 1978 when they were both 21. Shortly after their wedding, they moved to Los Angeles to launch their respective acting careers in Hollywood.

Their marriage appeared ideal, and it seemed to be a happy one from the outside. Drescher revealed that Jacobson had been attending therapy and had told her he'd discovered he was bisexual. However, he had never acted on it.

He loved and was only interested in her, so their marriage carried on. But after the "confession," the actress began feeling suffocated in the relationship. She did not know what she wanted with him and decided she had to be on her own to figure things out.

She disclosed that Jacobson became an angry and controlling husband after years of denying who he was, which led the actress to leave him at the height of "The Nanny," which Jacobson co-wrote.

After being separated for several years, the couple got divorced in 1999. "The Big Picture" actress said, according to Heavy.com:

"Honestly, he did not want the marriage to end. I needed it 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."

Jacobson was highly opposed to the divorce, but when Drescher told him she'd been diagnosed with cancer, he let go of his anger, and they began rebuilding their friendship. Jacobson came out as gay soon after.

They have maintained a close friendship since. Drescher says they are "best friends." In addition to building a lasting friendship, the exes also worked together, creating "Happily Married," a sitcom that's a loose reflection on their lives.

They also appear on each other's social media accounts, with the hashtags "#grateful" and "#happilydivorced," and seem to love going on holidays together and later uploading photos of their fun-filled moments.

A DIAGNOSIS THAT SCUPPERED ANY CHANCE AT MOTHERHOOD

After two years of misdiagnosis from eight doctors, the "Indebted" actress finally got a correct diagnosis. She had uterine cancer, and luckily for her, despite the time that had elapsed, the cancer was still in its early stages.

She underwent surgery on June 21, 2000. The procedure involved removing the uterus, which would mean Drescher would never have kids. The doctors also disclosed that trying out for kids during her marriage to Jacobson would have been futile.

Suddenly, Drescher went from being a hard-working and strong actress to becoming someone that could not have children. She, however, declares that she did give birth, but to her book "Cancer Schmancer."

She became a strong advocate for the Gynecologic Cancer and Education and Awareness Act. During the George W. Bush administration, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named the actress the newest public diplomacy envoy for women's health issues.

LIFE AFTER MARRIAGE AND CANCER

The "Beautiful Girl" actress has weathered some of life's most challenging times. She has been through a divorce and survived cancer. But with all that behind her, she again embarked on a search for true love.

She went on to marry email inventor Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai in 2014. Ayyadurai and Drescher had met at an event hosted by Deepak Chopra and fallen in love. She announced the news of their wedding on Twitter with the caption:

Surprise!!!!! We got married!

They had their wedding at their beach home in front of a small group of friends and family. Ayyadurai described every day with Drescher as a celebration and a romantic hangout.

He shared that they were always laughing and enjoying themselves. However, their joy was short-lived, and unfortunately, they got divorced. She announced the split on her Instagram on September 4, 2016.

Close friends of the actress told US Weekly that the marriage did not work out because they were too different. Ayyadurai was shy and would often stay away from cameras whenever he accompanied her on events.

Drescher, on the other hand, loved the spotlight. Her husband was unwilling to compromise and did not love her lifestyle as an actress. The source said that the couple quickly realized that things would not work out.

As of 2020, the actress disclosed that she had a secret man. And while she admitted that they weren't dating, she was candid about their type of relationship, saying it centered around the physical. She told Page Six of her "situation" with the mystery man:

"[We're] very comfortable with each other, and we have our routine. It's always the same experience. We really don't go out. We don't go to restaurants. We don't date. What we do, we do great."

And what they do whenever they are together is enjoy quality time watching movies or tennis and have meaningful conversations. However, Drescher would not reveal the mystery man's identity.