Brooke Shields' Memoir Bombshells: All the Biggest Revelations — from Tom Cruise's Hurtful Takedown to Surgeries and More
Shields' memoir 'Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old' is out Jan. 14
Brooke Shields held nothing back in her new memoir, just as the title suggests: Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old.
The actress and model, 59, touched on all aspects of her life — from aging to sex, her marriages to her children. She candidly opened up about a painful miscarriage that was a likely result of a surgery that she didn't consent to and shared openly about what her sex life is like with her husband, Chris Henchy, as she nears 60.
The book, which was released on Jan. 14, has been a work in progress since Shields started working on her haircare brand Commence.
What began as a platform for women over 40 quickly grew into her brand that was tailored toward these women. In the process, Shields' agents encouraged her to tell her own story for this community.
"So the book became an exploration of talking to women over 40, looking at marketing, the beauty industry, how we're treated and perceived by advertisers — not just entertainment, but in everyday life. I was shocked by the little representation we have," Shields shared at Flow Space presents An Evening with Brooke Shields on Jan. 13 in New York.
Ahead, find a few of the biggest bombshells from Shields' memoir. Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old is available now, wherever books are sold.
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Tom Cruise Eventually Apologized for Calling Out Her Antidepressant Use
In 2005, during a Today appearance, Tom Cruise called out Shields for openly discussing her use of antidepressants while dealing with postpartum depression. At the time, he said she was being "irresponsible" because these medications won't "cure anything."
Just days later, Shields published an op-ed in The New York Times called "War of Words," biting back at his rant. "I should point out that my publicist at the time told me not to dignify his comments with a response," she wrote in her book. "I was sticking up for myself, and for women who were suffering, against irrational and dangerous comments from an unschooled actor who was speaking way out of his depth." Shields added that she "fired that publicist."
Following the situation, Cruise did apologize to Shields, she wrote in her book. "He came to my house and said he was sorry," she wrote. "It wasn’t the world’s best apology, but it’s what he was capable of."
Related: Brooke Shields Responds to Critic Who Told Her, 'I Really Wish You Looked the Way You Used To'
Shields Experienced a 'Violent' and 'Excruciatingly Painful' Miscarriage
When Shields was in her mid-30s, she had an in irregular pap smear. Because of this, she had a cone biopsy to see if there were any abnormal cells in her cervical tissue. Doctors did, in fact, find CIN III cells, which she wrote would likely have become cancer. In removing these cells and this tissue, though, she said they "practically took out" her entire cervix.
This made getting pregnant difficult for her. Her first round of IVF was successful, but three months later she miscarried.
"What ensued was probably the worst twelve straight hours of my life," she wrote. "The miscarriage was so violent and excruciatingly painful that when it came time for a second IVF attempt I actually asked my doctor: 'Do you think it hurt so much because the scar tissue was getting stretched? Is that possible??'"
Shields eventually learned that the cone biopsy was the likely cause of her difficulty getting pregnant and the pain with miscarriage.
She Once Got a ‘Bonus' Labia Rejuvenation Without Her Consent
Years after her cone biopsy and her difficult conceptions, her gynecologist asked her if she ever experienced any "discomfort" because of her labia. She told the doctor that since she was young, she had, in fact, felt discomfort, only to find out that it could be fixed as part of a "cosmetic" procedure.
She saw a male doctor for labial reduction surgery, but when she came out of it, she was informed that she got more than she agreed to.
“'After two kids, everything is looser,' he said. He acted as if he’d done me a favor, and that I should, in fact, be grateful. There was a real 'I threw this in for free, little lady' vibe to his delivery. But I had never asked to be 'tightened' or 'rejuvenated' (translation: given a younger vagina). It was not something I wanted. I felt numb," she wrote of the labia rejuvenation the doctor performed without her permission.
Related: Brooke Shields Shares Plans for Her 60th Birthday, Including a Year of Celebrating
Shields Is 'Glad' She Never Got Pregnant with Andre Agassi
Shields, who is mom to daughters Rowan, 21, and Grier, 18, with husband Chris Henchy, was first married to tennis star Andre Agassi from 1997 to 1999. She revealed in her book that she's "glad" that the two of them never had kids during their short union.
"I’m glad I never got pregnant with my first husband because it would have been a disaster," she wrote. "When we got divorced he made that very clear. 'Be thankful we didn’t have children,' he said, 'because I would not have made this easy for you.' Well, thank you for that tidbit, I thought."
Related: Brooke Shields Recalls the Insulting Question Asked by 2 Male Doctors After Her Grand Mal Seizure
Shields Claims Agassi Body-Shamed Her During Their Marriage
The model admitted in her book that throughout her life, she has experienced bouts of insecurity related to her body. Though she has modeled her whole life, she was specifically told she was "not runway worthy" because she wasn't "skinny enough."
During her marriage to Agassi, she said she would often express these frustrations to him. She said he would tell her, "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." That being said, Shields said she'd ask him if he would still love her if she was "big and fat," meaning if she got pregnant.
She can acknowledge now that her question was unfair, but she wrote that his response was not anything she "expected."
"I love you too much to let you get big and fat."
She continued in the book, "I definitely did not see that coming and must admit I started to spin a bit. But we all know how that relationship turned out, so let’s move on."
Shields Needs Her ‘Lotions and Potions’ to ‘Fully Enjoy’ Sex
As she's gotten older, Shields has seen her sex drive diminish, she said. Though she had a bit of a "fervent sex drive" when she was young, that's not the case now. In fact, as she wrote in her book, sex is now uncomfortable a lot of the time and she'll often find herself pretending to be asleep when her husband is "in the mood."
She chalked it up to her labial surgery from years ago from "Dr. Malpractice." For her to "fully enjoy sex at this point," she wrote, she needs "lotions and potions" as well as the right sleepwear, a specific pillow and "maybe a tequila so I can relax."
"My doctor told me I should start taking testosterone — sure you might get a few more whiskers, but that’s what tweezers are for — but I haven’t gotten there yet," she wrote. "For now, I’m counting on the old 'the more you have it, the more you’ll enjoy it' approach."
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