Brooke Shields' Controversial Past (and Her Way of Dealing With It)
Born into show business, Brooke Shields became one of the leading stars of her generations. Her modeling and acting career made Shields an icon of the '80s. She became world famous for her roles in the controversial films Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon and has been in the spotlight ever since.
On the other hand, Brooke's private life was far from perfect, but she always found a way to overcome problems and stay positive. Let's take a look at the fabulous life of Brooke Shields, from her childhood to the present. Here is everything you want to know about her.
Family ties
Born in Manhattan in 1965, Shields comes from a society family, which according to some sources, was linked to various noble families in Italy. Her father, Frank Shields, was a businessman, and her mother, Teri Shields, was a model and actress.
Brooke's parents were married only a few months before she was born, but when the marriage certificate arrived in the mail, they were already divorced. It was rumored that Frank's family even paid Brooke's mother to end the pregnancy, but this story is still just a rumor.
The Most Beautiful Baby
We can easily say that Brooke has spent her entire life in front of the camera. When she was only five days old, her mother decided that she would take over her career in show business. She thought that Brooke was the most beautiful girl in the world and had great ambitions regarding her daughter's future. Brooke's career began when she was just 11 months old when she was cast in a commercial for Ivory Soap. She was named "America's Most Beautiful Baby Girl" and her Hollywood career was launched at that time.
Perfect Childhood
"The most beautiful baby" very soon became a young beauty with a promising career ahead of her. Brooke loved horseback riding and also took piano and ballet lessons from a young age. She needed to work very hard to fulfill her mother's ambitions, but at the same time, the girl was desperate for a normal childhood like any other child. Even as she continued her modeling career, she still wanted to enjoy all the "normal" aspects of her life.
Not so perfect after all
Brooke's life as a rising child star seemed perfect from the outside, but the reality seemed totally different. Her career grew rapidly, and was followed by the pressure that her mother constantly put on her. According to different sources, Teri controlled her daughter's personal and professional life and said that she knew what was best for her. All of this pressure eventually affected both mother and daughter, and Teri developed a drinking problem while her daughter tried to care for her.
"I grew up in an alcoholic home," Brooke Shields told The New York Times in 1994. "I am a person who seeks to take care of everything and who wants to improve everything, and you can do it for a long time, or at least that is what they have given me. saying".
Pretty baby
Teri's emotional state and her drinking problem deteriorated when her maternal and administrative skills began to be questioned in the media. In 1978, when she was 11 years old, Brooke was cast in the controversial film Pretty Baby. She played a child prostitute and took part in some questionable scenes that were groundbreaking in the movie industry at the time. This led to many negative comments, most of which blamed Teri for allowing her youngest daughter to participate in the film.
Her first love
Brooke was bound to experience her first love over time, just like any other girl her age. But unlike any other teenager, she was in the public eye and most people thought that she had entered the adult sphere too early. Rumors about her alleged romantic relationship with Scott Baio, another child star who starred in Happy Days, didn't help her reputation. Brooke later admitted that the rumors were true and that, in fact, she had an innocent relationship with Baio in the 70s.
Your Great Opportunity
Brooke was one of the most popular child models at the time and worked with the Ford modeling agency. Her big break came in 1978 when she was featured on the cover of the popular teen magazine Seventeen. This launched Shields to stardom and later led to her collaborating with famous designer Calvin Klein. From the first moment he saw her, Klein knew she had to be his new model and called her "the most beautiful girl in the world."
Commercial Prohibited
If anyone thought that Brooke's appearance in Pretty Baby was a mistake and that she would not make such controversial decisions again, they were wrong. Her appearance in print and television advertisements for Calvin Klein jeans attracted a lot of attention when Brooke said the memorable phrase "You want to know what's standing between me and my calvines? Nothing." The ad was not well received, and some television channels even refused to air it, but it made the designer and the young model more popular.
More Controversy
More than three decades later, the famous actress is even more recognized and remembered for her role in The Blue Lagoon. Based on a famous novel, the film tells the story of two isolated boys on a tropical island who eventually reach puberty and fall in love. The movie was shocking when it was released in 1980, and it still is, as it contains many explicit scenes. Brooke was only 14 at the time, while her co-star, Christopher Atkins, was 18.
Classification R
Years after The Blue Lagoon was released, Shields testified to an investigation by the United States Congress that doubles were used to photograph her nude scenes. However, the film was criticized for depicting a young woman topless with only her hair covering her front and therefore received an R rating in the US The controversy did not prevent the film from being a huge success. commercial as it raised nearly $ 60 million in the United States and Canada on a budget of just $ 4.5 million.
Close friends
When she was 15, Brooke met the future King of Pop, Michael Jackson, at the Oscars and the two connected from the get-go. They had a lot in common, they came from broken homes and controlling parents. Many fans were expecting to hear that there was more than just friendship between the two, but the truth was that they were just close friends. Shields stated in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine: "As he got older and the more he began to change physically, the less sexual he became for me."
Saying goodbye
Following the death of Michael Jackson, the actress appeared at her memorial service and even gave an emotional speech. This made some people furious and even called her a fake, because she was no longer friends with Michael and hadn't seen him for many years.
However, Brooke recalled the moments they shared together: "Looking back on when we met and the many times we spent together, there would be a legend of some kind, which would usually go something like 'a strange couple' or 'an odd couple, but for us it was a natural and easy friendship ...
In Love With George Michael
In 1985, Brooke had a brief romantic relationship with George Michael. She wrote about this experience in her book There Was a Little Girl, explaining how he seemed like a perfect gentleman and was very patient with her. Brooke thought they had something special and shared how disappointed she was the last night they spent together. "I thought, 'Oh God, I'm going to have my first time with George Michael in the back of a limo.' George broke up with her and, 10 years later, it was revealed that he was gay.
More than a pretty face
The beautiful actress has been the center of attention her entire life and caught the attention of some high-profile celebrities. She dated John Travolta in the '80s, and at some point, there were even rumors that she had had an affair with Prince Albert of Monaco. Being considered a pretty face eventually became a burden on her, and that's when Brooke decided to prove that she, too, had intelligence. She graduated from Dwight-Englewood Preparatory School in New Jersey and later earned her BA in Romance languages from Princeton University.
College Sweethearts
Brooke met her first love, actor Dean Cain, while they were both studying at Princeton University. In her autobiography There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me, she described in detail her thoughts on abstinence, as well as the first night she spent with her boyfriend. Considering her questionable roles in the past, this came as a surprise to her fans. Her ex-boyfriend only has good things to say about Brooke and years later, he said in an interview: "I was in love with her, we were certainly in college, we were dating."
A perfect combination
In the 1990s, Brooke dated some of Hollywood's men, including famous actor Liam Neeson and singer Michael Bolton. She was linked to other celebrities, but none of these relationships lasted for long until she met professional tennis player Andre Agassi. It seemed like she had found the right person and soon decided to settle down. The couple looked perfectly happy when they were together and after four years of dating they were married in 1997. But the romance didn't last long.
A Secret Addiction
In her autobiography, Shields mentions her relationship with Agassi and her addiction problems, which led to the end of their marriage.
"I was incredibly clueless. To this day, I think to myself 'Oh my God, Brooke. Everything you've ever seen in your life and couldn't get this?' But if you watch these athletes play, they play five, six, seven hours at the highest level and they go on and on and the regime around them is so intense that my justification was, I guess you should vent when you can. "
Time For Comedy
By the time she turned 30, Brooke already had a successful career, both in modeling and acting. Everything seemed to be going perfect for her, but she wanted to challenge herself and try new things. It was then that she decided to suspend her career in fashion to have more time to act. In 1996, Shields landed a lead role in the popular sitcom Suddenly Susan, which was later nominated for a Golden Globe Award. This was her first comedy role and she did a great job.
Healthy life style
It seems that being famous from a very young age didn't have a negative effect on Brooke's personality, as she always remained one with her feet on the hook. She used her popularity to fight for a good cause and took every opportunity she had to promote a healthy lifestyle. Although she is not a "gym person", Brooke said she exercises regularly to stay fit and healthy. She likes to emphasize how important this part of her life is and wants to show other women that they can be feminine and athletic.
Stepping On Stage
Brooke became an icon of the 80s and one of the most successful actresses of her generation thanks to her talent, beauty and charisma. She wanted to show everyone that she has so much more to offer and was not afraid to step out of her comfort zone to do that. After her success as a comedy actress, Shields wanted to challenge herself on stage. She acted in various Broadway productions, including Chicago, The Wonderful Town, Cabaret, and Grease. In 2011, she played the role of Morticia Addams in the Broadway musical The Addams Family.
True love
Two years after Brooke married tennis player Andre Agassi, the marriage ended in divorce. Although it seemed like she had given up on love at the time, it wasn't long before she finally met the right person and who is her current husband. Her friends introduced her to television writer Chris Henchy and from the moment they met, the couple had irresistible chemistry. Brooke's life changed forever in a second and after just eight months of dating, she got married a second time in 2001.
Secret Wedding
When she first got married, she had a big, pompous wedding, but that story didn't have a happy ending. That is why this time she decided to try a different approach. The couple had an intimate ceremony on Catalina Island, and only invited close friends and family. The secret wedding took everyone by surprise, mainly because the newlyweds had only been together for eight months. But they turned out to be perfect for each other.
The loss of his father
We don't know much about Brooke's father, Frank Shields, other than the fact that he was a successful businessman and worked as an executive in Revlon's New York office. Unlike Brooke's mother, he kept his life private, but played an important role in her daughter's life. The actress was heartbroken after her father passed away suddenly in 2003 at the age of 61. She later talked about her death on the television series Who Do You Think You Are? and said, "Loss after loss after loss, takes its toll on your soul."
Hard times
Losing a loved one is a tragic experience, and Brooke had a difficult time coping with the death of her father. She was pregnant and expected to give birth to her first daughter just a few weeks later, when Frank died suddenly. The actress needed to stay strong for her daughter, who was welcomed into the world 3 weeks later. All of these conflicting emotions were too much for Brooke to handle and she slowly began to sink into depression.
Mixed feelings
The day her daughter, Rowan Henchy, was born should have been the happiest day in Brooke's life. It was difficult for Brooke to celebrate and be happy, after losing her father a few weeks earlier. She felt empty and defenseless and didn't know how to recover from this. Just when her sadness seemed to have no end, she was diagnosed with postpartum depression. This is actually a very common state that new mothers go through, but most of them don't know it.
Coping With Depression
Many women who give birth suffer from postpartum depression, but unfortunately most of them do not receive proper diagnosis and treatment as it is still a taboo subject in our society. The actress was one of those women and she even had suicidal thoughts at one point. After being diagnosed, Brooke needed a lot of time and therapy to recover. Later, she spoke about this experience in public and even wrote a book called Down Came the Rain. She wanted to educate and help other women overcome the same problems that she had had in the past.
Start of a fight
Even though she had the best of intentions and wanted to help other people by speaking publicly about her depression issues, Brooks faced criticism for her actions from fellow actor Tom Cruise. He criticized the actress for speaking out in favor of antidepressant pills. Later, Shields said that Tom's comments on the matter were "dangerous" and "irresponsible."
Public war
The message she wanted to send to the audience was too important to Brooke, so she didn't want to keep quiet about Tom's accusations. Shields responded that the actor should probably "keep fighting aliens," alluding to her role in the War of the Worlds. She thought Cruise's statement had been inappropriate and rude not just to herself but to all other women, adding that she should "let mothers decide the best way to treat postpartum depression."
Feelings
The dispute did not end there when Shields wanted to explain in detail how he felt. She posted a statement in The New York Times saying: "In a strange way, I was comforted when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and suicidal thoughts were directly related to a biochemical change in my body. Once we admitted that postpartum is a serious medical condition, so treatment becomes more accessible and socially acceptable… Without it, I would not have become the loving mother that I am today. "
Friends after all
The media tried to capture all the details related to this incident, but to this day we are not really sure how the story ended. Tom supposedly apologized to Brooke in private and that apology was, in Brooke's words, "sincere."
What we do know is that just three months later, the actress and her husband attended Tom and Katie Holmes' wedding, one of the biggest events in Hollywood that year. This shock raised the question of whether this fight had just been a great show for the cameras.
Lipstick Jungle
In 2006, Brooke became a mother for the second time, and soon after, decided to return to the small screen. After her success in comedy, Susan was suddenly ready to try her luck again. This time, she landed the role of Wendy on NBC's Lipstick Jungle. The show was written by Candace Bushnell, the creator of Sex and the City, but while it looked like it was destined for success, it was canceled after the first season.
Your Greatest Loss
In 2012, Brooke lost her mother, the most influential figure in her life. Teri controlled her daughter's personal and professional life until Brooke became an adult and finally decided to take control of her actions. The two had a loving but complicated relationship. After Teri's death, Brooke said she's sorry she didn't have the courage to confront her mother and tell her how she really felt. Despite their thorny relationship, she always loved her mother and the year she lost her was the most difficult of her life so far.
Teri's Great Ambitions
The actress tried to cope with her mother's death in the only way that she knew how. In 2016, four years after her passing, Brooke published a memoir called There Was a Little Girl. The book describes her childhood and the experience of being raised by her mother. For the first time, the actress revealed that Teri wanted her to be in show business from the moment she was born. When Brooke was only five days old, her mother said, "She is the most beautiful girl and I am going to help her with her career."
Every Time Stronger
Brooke was heartbroken when she lost her mother, but was determined not to fall apart the way she did when her father died. She had two beautiful daughters to care for and she wanted to be the best mother she could be to them. Shield told The Guardian that she must "rule with an iron fist," and she devoted all of her time and energy to providing a normal and happy childhood for her two daughters, something she never had as a child.
Outside the world of entertainment
Wanting to avoid the mistakes her mother made when she was a child, Brooke chose a totally different method of raising her daughters. As she is known for appearing in controversial movies and advertisements in her early years, Shields doesn't want that kind of life for her daughters. Until they finish college, their daughters shouldn't set foot in industry. Shield told reporters that he is against the use of teenagers in campaigns and on the runway: "We shouldn't see 15-year-old bodies. I don't want a 15-year-old body. I don't want to want to see a little boy."
Cruel world
This kind of decision seems quite surprising to someone who has been exposed their whole life, but Shields has a rational explanation for this: "It's a ruthless and demoralizing business. Plus, they want you when they want you and you have to be there for auditions and work, and my daughters won't miss school. If I hadn't had the brainchild like my friend, I would have been eaten up by an industry that has no loyalty at all. You think like you've been in the industry all your life It will be loyal, but it is the opposite. "
Stalked For Years
It may seem like Hollywood stars lead perfect, glamorous lives with all the fame and money they have, but anyone who takes a closer look can see that this couldn't be further from the truth. Brooke, for example, had a stalker who didn't leave her alone for almost 30 years. For many years, he tried to get closer to the actress, following her home, reaching out to his daughters, and even befriending Brooke's mother, Teri, before she died. That couldn't scare her more.
Sentenced to Jail
In June 2016, 49-year-old John Rinaldi was convicted in New York of four misdemeanors of harassment of actress and model Brooke Shields. Rinaldi was sentenced to 60 days in jail, but ended up serving just 28 days. After being released from jail, he insisted that he was falsely accused by Brooke and her family, claiming that he was just a man in love, not a dangerous man.
At his trial, he said he was in love with Brooke's childhood and that he had followed her career ever since. From the moment he saw her on television, he thought that Brooke was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in the world, and these feelings led him to haunt Brooke and her family for three decades.
Staying in shape
Brooke's beauty is something we all admired for many years, even as a child, and 50 years later she looks better than ever. However, the actress is working hard to maintain her good looks - daily exercise is very important to her, as is healthy food and plenty of water. We can see Brooke's ongoing work on social media, where she promotes fitness and a healthy lifestyle. She is also trying to teach young women the importance of nurturing their well-being as a spokesperson for Tupperware Chain of Confidence's SMART Girls campaign.
No More Dramas
After years of hardship, family problems, and coping with depression, Brooke decided it was time to turn in a new sheet. This meant looking at life in a different way and embracing only the positive things along the way. Brooke said she wants to work only on fun, easy-to-use projects and stay away from dramatic roles in the future. Shields also dedicated herself to charity work and began supporting good causes such as the Cancer Society of the United States and organizations dedicated to AIDS research.
A Glamorous Birthday
The 50th birthday is a huge milestone and Brooke wanted to celebrate it in style. She threw a memorable New York rooftop party and invited her close friends and family. The glamorous party continued throughout the night and was filled with laughter and excitement. Brooke's husband showed how proud he is of his wife in an emotional speech: "It has been amazing how she has touched so many lives at every stage of her life. She has kept in touch with many friends," said a person with information privileged party to ET.
Hypocrite Movement
Everyone who follows Brooke on social media knows that she absolutely loves animals. She was a devoted animal rights activist, vegan, and even spoke out against the fur industry in the 1980s.
That's why it came as a huge shock when Shields created her own mink fur coat in Copenhagen. This move received a lot of negative comments, both from its fans and from animal rights organizations like PETA.
The Secret Behind Your Eyebrows
Being in her 50s doesn't stop Brooke from looking as beautiful as ever. She became popular thanks to her beauty and natural appearance and women around the world still envy her for that. One of the things she is recognized for is her perfect thick eyebrows and we were surprised when the actress commented on how she groomed them: "I don't use wax. If there is a rogue hair out of place, I will probably pull it out or if a makeup artist sees one, I'll let him do it, but I'm not doing too much. "
Inevitable Surgery
We did not know that Brooke suffered from a deformity of one of her toes until the condition became unbearable for her. She had had it for years, but in 2008 the actress took a two-month break from work to have surgery. It hurt too much to the point that it was difficult for her to walk and surgery was inevitable. "Just walking hurts, and when I work, I have to wear high heels all the time. The surgery was not planned, but it was very necessary."
New opportunities
Being one of those restless people, Brooke is constantly looking for new challenges and opportunities. She likes to play different roles and fans could see her in many projects in recent years. Since 2010, she has played the recurring role as neighbor Rita on the hit sitcom The Middle and in 2013 did a voiceover on the animated series Mr. Pickles. Brooke also appeared on The Michael J. Fox Show in 2014 and Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special in 2017. The actress is constantly trying to push herself so we can expect a lot of new things from her in the future.
