Jane Fonda: Hollywood star 'feels blessed' her cancer is in remission

Actress Jane Fonda has said she feels "so blessed, so fortunate" that her cancer is in remission and that she can stop chemotherapy.

The actress, who will turn 85 on Wednesday, called the news the "best birthday present ever".

"I thank all of you who prayed and sent good thoughts my way. I am confident that it played a role in the good news," she wrote in a blog post.

The star had been receiving treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

She told her 1.9 million Instagram followers in September that it was "a very treatable cancer... so I feel very lucky", adding that she would have six months of chemotherapy.

Speaking about being in remission and being told by her oncologist that her chemotherapy could end, she added: "I'm especially happy because while my first four chemo treatments were rather easy for me, only a few days of being tired, the last chemo session was rough and lasted two weeks, making it hard to accomplish much of anything."

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a less common cancer that develops in the lymphatic system - the vast network of vessels and glands in the body.

The Oscar-winning actress made her debut in 1960, becoming famous for films including Barbarella, Nine to Five and On Golden Pond.

Her most recent performance was in the Netflix comedy series Grace and Frankie.

Fonda is also well known as a political activist. In the 1960s, she vocally opposed the Vietnam War.

She said the effects of her most recent chemotherapy "wore off just as I went to DC for the first live, in-person Fire Drill Fridays rally", where she invites firefighters in the US to "demand a cleaner, greener, healthier world".

"Thank heavens for that because it was a busy week," she added, detailing her other campaigning for the climate and environment.