Actress Krysta Rodriguez opens up about "cathartic" cancer patient role

Actress Krysta Rodriguez has branded her latest role as a cancer patient on drama Chasing Life "cathartic" and "restorative to my soul" as she continues her battle against the disease in real life.

The former Smash actress, 30, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September (14), but revealed the shocking news earlier this year (15), when she began her chemotherapy treatment.

Now Rodriguez has landed a role as a fellow patient to Chasing Life actress Italia Ricci, whose character is also undergoing chemotherapy.

Rodriguez tells People magazine she had to fit filming for the series in between undergoing six treatments every three weeks for nearly four months.

She explains, "I'd be sick for a week, then shoot. I would go from feeling terrible on my couch, feeling so sick and awful - and then the next week getting to be back at work and feeling useful and excited to do something again."

Rodriguez adds that Chasing Life producers, who reached out to the actress for the role, take extra precaution to make sure the scenes are true to life, which she says makes the experience even more profound for her.

She adds, "It's very authentic to my life, and the show takes great care to make sure everything is realistic, and that's really important. I'm glad I have the real life experience to portray this on television... It's been restorative to my soul and my treatment. It really gave me something to look forward to."