Sharon Osbourne: A Timeline Of Her Health Troubles

Sharon Osbourne has been a public figure ever since she tied the knot with Black Sabbath musician Ozzy Osbourne in 1982. Even if you're not a rock 'n' roll fan, you certainly know who she is, whether you watched her participate in various family shenanigans on the hit MTV reality series "The Osbournes" (never forget the time she threw a whole ham into their disruptive neighbors' yard), act as a judge on a reality competition series, or cohost "The Talk" for 11 seasons. And if you follow celebrity news, you definitely know that her time on the daytime talk show came to an abrupt end when she was accused of making racist comments both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Following an investigation, Sharon parted ways with "The Talk," apologized on Twitter, denied the accusations, and headed to "The Talk UK."

Much like her career, Sharon's personal life has not been without its ups and downs. Her relationship with Ozzy has been put through the wringer, her children have had numerous struggles over the years, and she has gone through some major medical issues. But if you were to ask the Prince of Darkness, he'd likely say his other half has remained the family's rock through it all. "Without my Sharon, I'd be f***ing gone," Ozzy said in The Guardian in 2022. "We have a little row now and then, but otherwise we just get on with it." And through her family's tribulations, her career drama, and her own health troubles, Sharon has always remained an open book. 

When the second season of "The Osbournes" was set to begin filming for MTV, Sharon Osbourne found out that she had colon cancer. She was 49 years old at the time of her diagnosis. She told People that she had part of her colon removed, but the cancer unfortunately still spread to her lymph nodes. She underwent chemotherapy.

Understandably, this development terrified Sharon. "I responded very badly [to the news] because initially everyone thought it would be the operation and not the chemo, and I didn't prepare myself for the possibility that it had spread," she recalled in Coping magazine. However, the matriarch did her best to maintain a stiff upper lip and encouraged her loved ones to not put their lives on pause while she went through treatment. Ozzy Osbourne, of course, also struggled with the news. Sharon told People, "He was hysterical, just terrified. The doctor had to come over and sedate him."

Sharon quipped that she had no family history of colon cancer, and urged everyone to get tested. She told People of her initial diagnosis, "It was not the best news. You think nothing will ever happen to you. You're invincible. Then after you get over the shock and panic you realize how lucky you are to be alive. That's where I am right now. I simply have to take care of this thing."

On a 2012 episode of "The Talk," Sharon Osbourne shared that she'd tested positive for a BRCA gene mutation, which meant she had an increased chance of developing breast cancer. Per People, she told her co-stars, "I wasn't diagnosed with cancer, but I had the gene and one of my breasts was in a really bad state because of the implant." That implant, she shared, had begun to cause her body significant trouble. "One of them had burst, and all of it had gone into the wall of my stomach," she said. And so, Osbourne decided to undergo a preventative double mastectomy, a procedure that lasted around 13 hours.

While any procedure that involves anesthesia and going under the knife can be intimidating  — especially one that takes more than half a day — Osbourne was ready to get right to it and carry on with her life. "For me, it wasn't a big decision, it was a no-brainer," she told Hello! magazine. "I want to be around for a long time and be a grandmother to Pearl. ... It's not 'pity me', it's a decision I made that's got rid of this weight that I was carrying around." 

In December 2020, Sharon Osbourne took to her Instagram to reveal that she had a bout with COVID-19. Sharon wrote, "I wanted to share I've tested positive for COVID-19. After a brief hospitalization, I'm now recuperating at a location away from Ozzy (who has tested negative) while 'The Talk' is on scheduled hiatus. Everyone please stay safe and healthy." Sharon appeared to recover from the virus but unfortunately contracted it again in 2022. She posted another picture of herself on Instagram while flashing a peace sign in bed while getting an IV drip. The month before that, Ozzy Osbourne caught COVID-19; it seemed like only a matter of time before she herself would be struck with the virus.

Sharon has been by Ozzy's side as he's dealt with a number of health issues. In 2003, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's; in recent years, he's opened up about difficult living with the neurological disorder has been. Ozzy has also recovered from a serious staph infection, an upper respiratory problem, injuries sustained in an ATV accident, and a major neck procedure. Understandably, when he was sick with COVID-19, Sharon was especially distraught. "We've gone two years without him catching COVID and it's just Ozzy's luck he would get it now," she said through tears on an April 2022 episode of "The Talk UK." 

While some celebrities try to keep their cosmetic procedures hush-hush, Sharon Osbourne has been loud and proud about the work she has had done. However, a botched facelift in 2021 made the reality star seriously consider swearing off going under the knife once and for all. Ozzy Osbourne's other half told the Sunday Times, "I had a full facelift done in October and I looked like one of those f***ing mummies that they wrap. It hurt like hell. You have no idea. I'm telling you, it was horrendous. I'm like, 'You've got to be f***ing joking.' One eye was different to the other. I looked like a f***ing Cyclops. I'm like, 'All I need is a hunchback.'" Needless to say, in classic Sharon Osbourne style, she did not mince words.

Of course, this was not the first time she'd opened up about getting her face tweaked. On a 2019 episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Sharon shared that after one procedure in particular, her face was numb and her lip fell in such a way that she resembled a certain famous rock star — and no, not her husband. "I looked like Elvis, and all the kids and Ozzy are going, 'Why are you snarling at me?'"

It sounds like Sharon has reached her limit with augmentations, too. Per People, after she underwent a double mastectomy and had her leaking implant removed in 2012, she told members of "The Talk" audience to rethink getting implants altogether. 

While filming a new episode of Jack Osbourne's Discovery Channel series "Night of Terror" in December 2022, Sharon Osbourne was hospitalized. According to TMZ, the matriarch of the Osbourne family was on set at the Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula, California, when she had to be taken to the emergency room for an undisclosed medical issue.

Jack released a statement the following day to let fans know that his mother was all good after the incident. "She has been given the all clear from her medical team and is now home," he wrote in an Instagram Story (via People). "As to what happened to my mum — I'm gonna leave it to her to share about when she is ready." Sharon appeared to be in good spirits as she took to her own Instagram to post a picture of the family's dog in front of their gorgeous Christmas tree. "Back home and doing great! Thank you for all the [heart emoji]," she wrote. What's more, Page Six shared snapshots of the daytime chat show star out and about running errands. Needless to say, no one does a speedy recovery like the Princess of Darkness.