Diane Keaton’s secret reason for signature covered-up style

The actress, best known for her roles in The godfather, Annie HallAnd Something has to givehad dealt with health problems her entire adult life. Keaton was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma at age 21 and later underwent two surgeries for squamous cell cancer.

“Wear sunscreen. You have to put it on,” she once said in an interview.

Keaton added about discovering she was sick: “I had it for a long, long time before I was diagnosed. I knew something was going on, but no one could find it. I had three biopsies before they found it. And it was deep.”

The trauma of those experiences has left its mark. She said: “I’ve always loved hats. They just frame a head. But of course no one really loves them as much as I do.”

Her wide-brimmed hats and high collars were not only fashion statements, but also a physical barrier against the California sun – and a reminder of what she had endured. In 2015, Keaton revealed that skin cancer had also devastated her family.

“I remember my Aunt Martha had skin cancer so bad that they removed her nose. My father had basal skin cancer, and my brother had it too,” she said.

Reflecting on her potentially deadly years as a self-proclaimed “sun worshipper,” Keaton admitted, “I could have prevented 20 skin cancers if I had consistently worn sunscreen and taken the matter seriously.”