Kathy Bates decided to keep her cancer battle a secret because of her work commitments.

The Oscar-winning actress was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 but didn't make the news public and says one of the reason was because she had signed up to star in a movie alongside the late Brittany Murphy.

"I was advised to [do so]. I was contracted to go into a movie at that time, Little Black Book with Brittany Murphy, who I miss very much. My doctors at the time, they had to get insurance approval and all of that so I was very quiet about it and had to go back to work right away," she told Anderson Cooper.

Kathy, 63, says she also wanted to go through the experience on her own despite having a supportive network of family and friends: "Nobody else really knows what you're going through except another cancer patient. Even though your family's supportive and surrounds you, I just got to the point where I would go to chemo by myself and just really go through it on my own."

However, the Misery star - who successful beat the disease - says she would do things differently if it were to happen again. "I admire people who have been open, like Melissa Etheridge and women I see walking around facing it without wigs and all of that stuff. I think I'd be more courageous next time."