O'Donnell Surprised She's Still Alive

Actress-turned U.S. TV personality Rosie O'Donnell is struggling to live life to the full - because she didn't expect to be alive in her 40s.

The A League of Their Own star's mother died when she was young and O'Donnell felt sure she too was destined for an early grave, so she packed everything into her first 40 years and then stepped back from the spotlight.

During an appearance on Oprah in America on Monday (25Jan10) she revealed, "As a child I never thought I would live past 40, because my mother didn't, and my goal was to do everything I could before I was 40 and then retire and wait for the doctor to say, 'You're gonna die'.

"So every year I get my mammogram and every year they say, 'You're fine,' and I go, 'Would you squish it a little harder, are you sure?' They'relike, 'Y'know, I think you're gonna live'.

"So I had to make a plan for what to do".