Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays the role of Selina Meyer in “veep” has revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The actress took to Twitter on Thursday to share the heartbreaking news with her 761k followers, writing, “1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one.” In her statement, she also called for universal healthcare in the United States.

She won her sixth consecutive Emmy award this year

Earlier this month, Louis-Dreyfus, 56, won her sixth straight Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Selina Meyer - a former United States Senator who becomes Vice President of the United States - in HBO’s critically acclaimed political satire “Veep.” According to the Hollywood Reporter, she learned about her disease just one day after the Emmys.

The show concluded its sixth season in June, and it was recently announced that the seventh season will be its last. However, according to HBO, Louis-Dreyfus’ diagnosis will have no effect on the network’s decision to renew the show, reported Hollywood Reporter. The production schedule will be adjusted to accommodate her treatment needs.

Celebrities sent their prayers and well wishes

Former Vice President of the United States Joe Biden was one of the many people to tweet his support for Louis-Dreyfus. His tweet was accompanied by a photo of him and the actress from a video they starred in 2014.

“Julia, you're in our thoughts and our hearts. Inspired, but not surprised to see you using your platform for good in this difficult moment," the Former First Lady of United States and presidential nominee Hilary Clinton wrote, according to the Daily Mail.

Louis-Dreyfus’ “Veep” colleague Timothy Simons tweeted her and wrote: “Julia is one of the most talented, most giving, most empathetic people that I’ve had the pleasure to meet. That she takes this news and turns it to help others is of no surprise. Get well, Boss. We love you.”

“I love @OfficialJLD, she's one of the strongest people I know and cancer is gonna be real sorry it tried any weird moves on her,” read the tweet of Lena Dunham, to which Louis-Dreyfus replied, “Love you @lenadunham & yeah, crazy sorry, fool!”

Various other celebrities including Kathy Griffin, Christina Applegate, Anna Kendrick and Debra Messing also sent their well-wishes to the comedian.

Breast cancer is the second-most common type of cancer in American women. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 250,000 new cases of breast cancer will be found in 2017.
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