Suzanne Rogers, the beloved Daytime Emmy-winning actress who has played Maggie Horton on Days of Our Lives since 1973, was diagnosed with cancer this past spring, prompting her to take a leave from the show she’s called home for 52 years. She opened up about her real-life medical crisis in a new interview with TV Insider.
Reality Sets In
A 52-year veteran of Salem, Rogers shared with the outlet that she’d sought medical attention after sensing that something was off, and despite having undergone routine colonoscopies, her doctor ordered another one. The results concerned the surgeon, who promptly ordered an MRI, a PET scan and informed her that he would be doing a biopsy. In short order, Rogers learned that she had Stage II colorectal cancer. The actress recalled, “He said, ‘You have cancer and you have to start treatment.’ It was all a shock.”
To accommodate the treatment she was prescribed, Rogers took a break from DAYS, completing her final episode in June and starting a six-week course of radiation and chemo, which she underwent five days out of seven, almost immediately after filming her last show as Maggie. The actress credited her friend Sunie Ostermann and her DAYS daughter, Linsey Godfrey (Sarah), for the help they provided her, given that she has no biological family in the Los Angeles area. Calling that period of time “scary,” she noted, “When I had to go see a doctor, one of them would go with me because you get to a point where once they say cancer, you don’t hear anything else.”
Godfrey is also a cancer survivor; she was diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin Lymphona when she was 18 years old and underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy before being declared cancer-free in 2007. Rogers praised her on-screen kin for her steadfast support, noting that when she underwent infusions, “Linsey sat there with me and held my hand while I was having it.” The actress said she also shared many meals with both Godfrey and Paul Telfer (Xander). “I knew I could count on them, so it was a lovely experience…. We really feel like a family.”
Love Makes A Family: Off-camera, fellow survivor Linsey Godfrey (Sarah) was there for Rogers throughout her cancer treatment.XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
Because DAYS shoots so far in advance — currently, it is filming episodes that won’t air for 10 months — Maggie’s temporary absence from the Salem scene won’t be visible until 2026. “At least the audience will know why,” Rogers noted, adding that she was inspired to speak publicly about her cancer diagnosis in part because of rumors that had circulated online over the summer about her retiring from acting and leaving DAYS.
At the time that those rumors were flying, a spokesperson for the show had confirmed exclusively to Soap Opera Digest that such talk “could not be further from the truth,” and stated, “Maggie and Suzanne are integral to the show’s history, present storylines, and now, on the heels of our pick-up, the future! Neither are going anywhere.”
Digest sends its very best wishes to Rogers for continued healing.
Healthy Concern: Rogers’s DAYS boss, Ken Corday, checked in on her during her absence from the show.INSTAGRAM/Days Peacock
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