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Most cast members of The Real Housewives of New Jersey become legacy cast, remaining for multiple seasons. But not a former housewife and controversial member, Amber Marchese. The 45-year-old beauty joined the cast in Season 6, making it her first and last appearance. Aside from her husband’s offputting personality, she was most known for her cancer storyline. After leaving the show, she was diagnosed for a second time, leading to major surgery in hopes that the cancer wouldn’t return.
Did Amber From ‘RHONJ’ Have Cancer?
Amber joined the show in Season 6 as an old friend of Melissa Gorga. She quickly established herself as a foe after alleging Gorga changed once she got married, and tried to align herself with Teresa Giudice. But her relationships with her co-stars soured due to her husband getting into arguments with them, leaving Amber as an outcast. However, she did spread awareness for breast cancer.
Amber revealed the heartbreaking story of being diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age and her fear of how it would impact her family as a wife and mother. In addition to chemotherapy treatment to combat the Stage 1 diagnosis, Amber had a full mastectomy, which is a surgical operation to remove an infected breast.
Five years after being declared cancer-free, cancer returned, which she revealed to PEOPLE Magazine was less than a 5% chance due to her previous surgery, as Bravo’s Daily Dish reports. Thankfully, she’s been cancer free since.
Why did Amber leave ‘RHONJ’?
After her first season, Amber and her husband, Jim, didn’t like how they were portrayed on the show. They revealed exclusively to Us Weekly that they were leaving the show. “The show was not what we expected it to be, and I want to pursue more endeavors,” she said in 2015.
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In retrospect, Amber says she never wanted to do a reality show and fell into it by chance pursuing her dream of becoming an actress. She claims much of what viewers say was her putting on for the cameras.
“I was picked on a casting call while pursuing acting,” she added, noting, “I approached the show as an actress wanting to make producers happy, and I wanted to make Andy [Cohen] happy, and I had little control over content, situations, or what they decide to show the viewers. The ramifications of that did not sink in until after I watched the show. That is not Amber on any level.”
Amber admits she was addicted to fame while filming ‘RHONJ’
The former reality star appeared on Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars, where she confronted her marital trouble head-on. She also continues to advocate for breast cancer awareness.
Speaking candidly to Behind the Velvet Rope in 2021. During her interview, she admitted that she was addicted to the attention on the show and understands why people do anything to remain in the spotlight.
She says Jim would never return to the show, but she could see herself on another season. If given another chance, she says she’d follow Dolores Catania’s method of staying under the radar.
