Sheryl Crow praises Shannen Doherty for being bold

Los Angeles: Singer Sheryl Crow appreciated actress Shannen Doherty for her strength and courage to publicly share that she has breast cancer.

The 54-year-old "Strong Enough" hitmaker said she is happy that women are being open about the disease, as the situation was completely different earlier, reported Entertainment Tonight.

"I think that (talking about cancer) takes the fear out of it. I mean, it is a scary thing, but one of the problems we have with breast cancer in general is getting women to go and get a mammography.

"So I love women who are coming out and saying, 'This is what I've done. I've been proactive and I'm celebrating my life, Crow said.

Recalling old times when women did not use to speak openly about the disease, she said, "It's just really hard to imagine that 30 years ago, no one had spoken about having breast cancer until Betty Ford. When she came out and announced (she had it), it was very taboo and shocking. And now we can talk about it and it's a part of our everyday life. Knowledge is power."

The songwriter also disclosed that it has been over ten years since she beat breast cancer and it was a real game changer for her.

"I've had a lot of people say, 'Yeah, these things help you redefine your life,' but for me, I really refined my life.

"I began to really hack away at the things that were not important anymore and the things that were energy sucking. I learned how to say no," she said.