Joan Lunden Opens Up About Cancer Battle and Losing Her Hair

The longtime anchor proudly graces the cover of People magazine without wig.

ByABC News
September 24, 2014, 10:18 AM

— -- Joan Lunden is proudly gracing the cover of People magazine without her wig, following her battle with triple negative breast cancer.

The former "Good Morning America" host told the magazine the choice to go bald for the cover was to "try to help others."

"I had to make this big decision about whether or not to do the cover with no hair," she said. "It certainly isn't the comfortable way to go, but I decided I was going to try and help others and show women that this isn't the end of the world. You can go on – and that was hugely empowering."

"No taking it back now...my @peoplemag cover, bold and bald, is out! #itsjusthair," she also tweeted.

Read: Joan Lunden Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Lunden revealed her battle to "GMA" on June 24.

“I heard those words that every woman fears and never wants to hear, ‘You have breast cancer,’” Lunden, 63, told Robin Roberts, also a breast cancer survivor. “I’ve got that journey ahead. I’ve already started it. I’m already doing my chemo.”

Now, the TV personality is taking control, hence taking off her wig.

"Robin told me waiting for your hair to fall out is excruciating," she told People. "So I didn't want to wait."

In fact, Lunden decided to get rid of her hair one week after her first treatment.

"You know it's going to happen one of these days and you are wondering how and when, so I just owned it," she added.

But the freeing action hasn't been without some downsides.

"When you lose your hair, it just affects the way that you look at yourself in the mirror. You feel less feminine, pretty or desirable, and it's not an easy thing to go through," she said.

The latest issue of People magazine hits newsstands nationwide Friday.