Julia Louis-Dreyfus Reveals She Has Breast Cancer In Defiant Social Media Message

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, star of US Comedy series 'Veep,' announced she had breast cancer yesterday.

In a post on Twitter, she wrote, "1 in 8 women have breast cancer. Today I'm the one."

The award winning star went on to say that she has "supportive and caring family and friends" and "fantastic insurance."

She addressed the issue of health care in her post, pointing out that not all women are as "lucky" and called for 'universal health care to be made a reality.'

Praise for her brave public admission is clear as her post has received more than 300,000 likes in less than a day.

Earlier this month, the popular actress made history at the Emmys with her sixth consecutive win for Veep - it is the most wins for a performance in the same role for the same series.

The HBO show has been renewed for a seventh and final series. "Our love and support go out to Julia and her family at this time," HBO said in a statement. "We have every confidence she will get through this with her usual tenacity and undaunted spirit, and look forward to her return to health and to HBO for the final season of Veep."