Celebrity Parents 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' 's Caroline Rhea Shares Emotional Story Behind Her Daughter's Birth: She's My 'Miracle Baby' Actress Caroline Rhea opens up about learning she was expecting her first child at the age of 44: when "you get to be a mother, it's all worth it" By Jodi Guglielmi Jodi Guglielmi Writer-Reporter, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 10, 2017 01:40PM EDT Caroline Rhea does not take motherhood for granted. The actress, 53, opens up in the new issue of PEOPLE about learning she was expecting her first child at the age of 44 — and the heartbreaking circumstances that surrounded her pregnancy. After years of struggling to conceive with her then-boyfriend and fellow comedian Costaki Economopoulos while serving as host on the third season of The Biggest Loser, Rhea received some devastating news. “My parents got diagnosed with cancer one week apart,” she tells PEOPLE. Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Babies newsletter. Spencer Heyfron FROM PEN: Baby Jessica 30 Years Later: “My Life is a Miracle” Rhea’s mom, Margery, was diagnosed with breast cancer and her dad, David, with lung cancer. David, an OB/GYN, died 10 months later; Margery lived another six years. “The month after my dad died is when [my daughter] Ava was conceived naturally, at a considerably older age than most people,” she says. And the timing was not lost on the star. “She’s like my little miracle baby,” Rhea adds. “All the bad stuff, and all the good stuff, it all leads you to the place that you’re meant to be. When it’s something that results in a child being born, and you get to be a mother, it’s all worth it.” RELATED VIDEO: Melissa Joan Hart Reveals Which Hogwarts House Sabrina the Teenage Witch Would’ve Been In! After Ava, now 8½, was born, the Sabrina the Teenage Witch alum dropped everything to focus on raising her daughter. “The first five years, I didn’t go on the road at all,” she says. “I was like, ‘I’m not gonna wait this long and have a baby and then leave.’ ” And while Rhea still takes on the occasional role — she’s currently starring in A Very Sordid Wedding and frequently appears on the Alec Baldwin-led Match Game — she still prefers to nestle at home with Ava. “I love how hilariously funny my daughter is,” Rhea says. “She’s the best company.” For more from Caroline Rhea, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.