Brooke Shields has been an open book with her struggles with postpartum depression, but a recent revelation speaks to the true depth of her despair.
The 57-year-old actress and socialite won critical acclaim at the age of 12 for her starring role in Louis Malle’s 1978 film ‘Pretty Baby’. Her marriage to Chris Henchy in 2001 propelled her into the wonderful world of motherhood. however, the birth of her daughters – Rowan Francis and Grier Hammond – came with challenges.
Brooke Shields details her tragic experience with postpartum depression
In the early 2000s, the mother-of-two chatted with magazines — such as Guideposts — and appeared on ‘Oprah Winfrey’ to openly discuss her battle with postpartum depression.
In 2006, the “Lipstick Jungle” alum released a memoir titled “Down Came to the Rain,” where she spoke about her PPD for the first time. Once again, Shields takes the stage with Marc Marcon on “WTF With Marc Maron” to bring the heartbreaking struggles to light.
On Monday, ‘The Blue Lagoon’ actress, who has often spoken out about how she was sexualized as a young child in Hollywood, had some choice words for Marcon’s podcast. listeners about the near-death experience she had as she went through postpartum depression.
The model expressed how she feared “driving [her] car in a wall” on California’s 405 freeway during her “terrible” postpartum depression. She said the “terrifying” experience was so scary she had to call her doctor from the car.
Shields’ doctor stayed on the phone with her until she got home, telling her she needed to “go back to the medicine immediately.” The ‘Endless Love’ star commented on the drug, saying, “I started to feel more like myself so I left…because clearly I was a doctor at the time.”
Like most patients, the “Suddenly Susan” alum was initially reluctant to take medication for her depression because she thought she could escape the consequences. But her family members and friends begged her for help. “It was so dark,” Shields said. “My mother-in-law called me and said I had dead eyes. I finally said OK, to get rid of everyone.
Shields’ New Documentary ‘Pretty Baby’ Reveals Her Rape Experience
The American actress and model had a traumatic experience that she kept secret for a long time. However, decades later, she felt it was a good time to open up about how she was raped as a young girl in her new documentary.
The Blast shared that IIn the Hulu documentary “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the “Misadventures of Margaret” star revealed the disturbing event happened to her in her 20s, and it also examines her rise to rising star and fame.
In the newly released documentary, Shields said she was raped by a man she knew shortly after graduating from Princeton. The circumstances arose because she struggled to find a job, although she was initially successful as a child star.
She recounted how she had a late dinner with the unidentified man with the idea that they would discuss work things, but he allegedly convinced her to return to her hotel room after she was finished, saying he would call for a ride.
The ‘Blue Lagoon’ actress further explained that the unnamed man sexually assaulted her upon entering the room; he disappeared after they arrived and returned to the room naked.
The ‘What Makes a Man’ actress said she participated in the assault because she couldn’t defend herself for fear it would cause further physical injury. “I was afraid of choking,” she says. “So I didn’t fight a lot. I did not do it. I just completely froze.
Shields went on to point out that she believed saying ‘no’ once would adequately stop the act, adding, ‘God knows I knew how to be dissociated from my body. I had practiced that… I went down in the elevator and took my taxi. I just cried in my friend’s apartment.
The ‘Two and a Half Men’ guest star said she couldn’t admit or confront the issue after the ordeal, even after an aide pointed out the obvious. She claimed the assistant said, “It’s rape,” but replied, “I don’t want to believe it.