Cameron Mathison has been through some unimaginable trauma in the last few years that has led him into a “forced chapter” of his life.
The General Hospital star, 55, has suffered from “major, major life challenges”, including his “shocking” divorce from his wife Vanessa Arevalo, a family death, and losing his home in the LA wildfires in January.
Reflecting on the loss of his Pasadena home, he told the Daily Mail: “It’s a very unique death. You never expect your children’s home, the home that you raised your life in, everything. You never expect that. It really is a unique loss that doesn’t feel real.
“There’s aspects of it being totally surreal still every day in this type of loss, you remember something else. Every day,” he added.
“Just the other day I remembered my Letterman jacket from high school. Every single piece of my kids’ lives. The Father’s Day cards. Mother’s Day is coming up. Twenty years of Mother’s Day cards for my ex.”
Discussing his many challenges, Cameron said: “It’s so much more emotionally challenging than people know. I’ve been through in the last four years, major, major life challenges.
“A life threatened and a cancer journey, and a loss of a parent, a shocking divorce. My dog died. I lost a job. My son went through something traumatic and now this.”
Cameron and Vanessa, who share children Lucas, 22, and Lelia, 18, decided to end their 22-year marriage in 2024 and announced the news in a joint Instagram post in July.
It read: “After 22 years of marriage, we have made the difficult decision to part ways. We enter this new chapter with deep love, kindness, and respect for each other. We hold gratitude in our hearts for the wonderful years we shared together.
“Our children have been and will continue to be our highest priority, and we will forever share in our devotion and love for them. We remain friends, and both wish the best for one another. We sincerely appreciate your respect for our family’s privacy during this transition.”
Cameron is now cancer-free, but in 2019, he was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma – a type of kidney cancer. Months later, his mom, Loretta, was diagnosed with brain cancer and died in 2021.
His beloved Doberman, Red, died in December 2023 after he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a type of blood cancer.
While he admits he has been through some “awful” times, Cameron appears excited to start a new chapter “from ground zero”.
He explained: “So, my marriage ended to me pretty shockingly. My kids moved out for college. My house burned down. So that’s all awful, of course.
“But also, it’s like I get to create this next chapter from ground zero. Well, that’s a weird word, from a level playing field.”
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