“Let’s see if I get over it, and if not, what can we do? Life is like that.”
Mey RudeIn an emotional and moving video on her Instagram, 52-year-old Spanish actress Isabel Torres has said goodbye to fans after revealing that her cancer has worsened.
Torres became an international star when she was one of three trans actresses cast to play Spanish TV celebrity Cristina Ortiz, also known as La Veneno, in HBO Max’s limited series Veneno.
Torres has been battling lung cancer since 2018, and news site AL DÍA reports that doctors told her the disease has worsened recently. On Instagram, Torres called the post “my last video.”
“They give me two months to live,” the actress says. “Let’s see if I get over it, and if not, what are we going to do? Life is like that.”
She also thanked all her fans and followers and thanked Cristina “Veneno” Ortiz and everyone involved in making the show. “I am very grateful to the success of Veneno,” she said. “But it is also very hard what is happening to me.”
Fans, friends, and coworkers have been flocking to her page to express their love for Torres.
“You are a fighter and an example of bravery. We love you Isabel, we are with you,” wrote singer Ricky Merino.
“You are a warrior and until the last minute always with your smile! I love you and I send you a lot of strength,” wrote Amor Romeira.
Torres, and the other trans actresses in Veneno, gave some of 2020’s best TV performances and left a legacy that will show the world about trans women for generations to come.
Trans women have been erased from both media and history, and Veneno was a vital show that captured daily life for Spanish trans women, and particularly sex workers. It showed that trans women aren’t one-dimensional, and that we deserve to be loved and remembered and centered in stories about us. And Torres is one of the main reasons for that.
Her legacy will live on long after she’s gone. For years young trans girls will see her in Veneno, and just like young Valeria Vegas in the opening of the show’s first episode seeing the actual La Veneno on TV in 1996, they’ll realize their world is a whole lot bigger than they thought it was. They’ll realize they can be who they want to be.
For trans actors, they’ll be able to look at Torres and see a trailblazer. Someone who opened doors and held them open. Because of her other trans actors will get the chances they deserve.
Thank you, Isabel Torres, for everything you’ve done. We’ll never forget you.
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0Veneno Actress Isabel Torres Says Goodbye to Fans After Cancer News
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