'How I Met Your Mother' star Colbie Smulders reveals she had cancer at age 25

LOS ANGELES, April 24 (UPI) -- Actress Colbie Smulders has been hiding a big personal secret: she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 25, during season 3 of the CBS hit show How I Met Your Mother.

Smulders, 33, never went public with the news and maintained her regular role on the show throughout the ordeal. The Avengers actress is now healthy after a series of surgeries over the course of two years, she told Women's Health in its latest issue.

"I had tumors on both ovaries and the cancer had spread into my lymph nodes and surrounding tissues," she said.

"I don't think I'll ever feel like I'm cancer-free," she admitted. "Now that I'm five years out, I'm trying to think of it as a positive thing and what I can learn from it. And if I can create more awareness, I'll do it."

Since her diagnosis, Smulders gave birth to two children with husband, Saturday Night Live star Taran Killam; her youngest son was born in January. The actress continues to build her resume, appearing in The Avengers: Age of Ultron and a comedy called Results in May. She will also star in Unexpected, a drama due out in July.