Brooke Shields Opens Up About How Her Husband Made Her Feel Better After She Was Body-Shamed

Sep 07, 2023

Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of sexual themes involving minors and sexual assault that may be troubling for some readers. 

Brooke Shields’s life in the spotlight is reminiscent of her career as a versatile entertainer. The star has flourished as an actress and model for decades since she started her career as a child star. As a child model, Shields was the youngest model at 14 to be on the cover of US Vogue. Being a child actress, Shields gained prominence for her movies, "Pretty Baby," and "The Blue Lagoon."

Further into her acting resume, she made appearances in "Endless Love," "Suddenly Susan," and others. She is also the proud mother of two beautiful daughters, Rowan and Grier. 

Although Shields had a wonderful childhood model career, she did not escape some heartrending challenges. The actress revealed how she was once body-shamed in an interview in 2018. She also shared how her present husband later helped her feel better.

Shields' career as a model and an actress has been thriving over the years. Although the star had knee surgery in April 2018, she hired a personal trainer and worked hard to get fit again. Even though she is over five decades old, the model still had campaigns lined up in 2018. Among the numerous campaigns was an advert for a swimwear brand called Swimsuits For All.

During the interview, the outlet shared Shields's comments on her 2017 modeling for Calvin Klein lingerie for their US magazine edition, "Social Life." She said:

"We shouldn't just see 15-year-old bodies. I don't want a 15-year-old body. I don't want to look like a little boy." She also added, "There is a huge market of women who have money and don't want to look prepubescent, but don't want to look like old ladies either."

This was not the first time Shields had opened up about her past. In an interview with People in March 2023, Shields revealed that she was sexually assaulted by a Hollywood executive over three decades ago. The story was a look into her life as a young child who was sexualized due to her role in "Pretty Baby" and "The Blue Lagoon." Shields shared the story as part of her two-part documentary, "Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby," which premiered on April 3, 2023.

While speaking to the news franchise, the actress shared that she could not reveal it at the time because "No one is going to believe me," and added, "People weren't believing those stories back then. I thought I would never work again." Shields also added that, as seen in the documentary, "It's a miracle I survived." She further explained:

"It's taken me a long time to process it. I'm more angry now than I was able to be then. If you're afraid, you're rightfully so. They are scary situations. They don't have to be violent to be scary."

When the incident happened, Shield recounted in the documentary that she just graduated from Princeton University and had difficulty securing a job. She tagged that period as the "lowest point" of her career. 

She continued that she thought she was getting a job after having dinner with a Hollywood executive. Instead, he invited her into his hotel room to make a call for a cab and sexually assaulted her while she froze in fright. However, she later blamed herself for having a drink and going to his room with him.

The model shared that she told her story to help others not feel alone because she "want to be an advocate for women to be able to speak their truth."

Shields faced a heart-wrenching and traumatic experience in her twenties, and her childhood years were also plagued. The “A Castle For Christmas” actress told Porter about being made to feel conscious of body image. During the interview, Shield recounted her days as a young model and how she was a swimwear model at the age of 15 but never felt like she had the body for it. She confessed:

“I was a cover girl, not a supermodel. I was ‘neck up’ – the face, the eyebrows – and I was always described as ‘athletic’; ‘not rail-thin’; ‘not a runway model’. Those messages, they seep into your consciousness.”

The actress continued that those messages were not different from the ones she received at home. She revealed how her mother and former manager, Teri Shields, body-shamed her at home whenever she got drunk. Unfortunately, Teri died after a long battle with alcoholism in 2012. She revealed:

"My mother would get drunk and say: 'Why don't you move your fat a**?' So I've always believed I had a fat a**."

Fortunately, Shields found solace in the hands of your significant other. She shared that her screenwriter husband, Chris Henchy, helped to make her feel better and comfortable in her skin. She explained, "I would walk backwards out of rooms, and he’d say: ‘No, I want to grab onto you.’ He really celebrated my womanliness and my body. And I needed a man to celebrate me.”

After going through all these, Shields continues to remain proud of her body and embraces every part of it. She also worked hard to maintain the best version of herself. 

Isn't it sweet to see Brooke Shields rise above the social vices she dealt with? What are your thoughts on how body image issues should be handled? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to other Brooke Shield fans. 

If you or anybody you know has experienced sexual assault, please visit HelpGuide.org to find your local hotline. The hotlines provide confidential support for you or your loved ones and best practices for professionals.