Topics: Celebrity, Brooke Shields, Health, Mental Health, Sex and Relationships
Brooke Shields has spoken out on her public feud with Tom Cruise over his comments about her postpartum depression medication.
Writing in her new memoir, titled Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old, The Blue Lagoon star opened up about being publicly shamed by Cruise for taking medication to address her postpartum depression back in 2005.
When promoting his new film, War of the Worlds, the Top Gun A-lister suggested taking antidepressants wasn’t the right choice for Shields.
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Insisting he cared deeply for Shields, and also declaring that psychiatry was a pseudo-science and that there was no such thing as a chemical imbalance, Cruise claimed that postpartum depression could be sorted out simply with vitamins and exercise.
"To suggest that I was wrong to take drugs to deal with my depression, and that instead I should have taken vitamins and exercised shows an utter lack of understanding about postpartum depression and childbirth in general," Shields wrote at the time in a New York Times op-ed.
She added: "If any good can come of Mr. Cruise’s ridiculous rant, let’s hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease."
And now, 20 years on, Shields - who also recently exposed her gynaecologist's 'invasive' actions during her labia surgery - has addressed the ordeal once again.
"Had Tom taken a public swing at me before I became a mother, I probably would have stayed quiet," Shields wrote in her new memoir published Tuesday (14 January).
"I would have ignored his ridiculous rant. I might have been content to sit back while this very famous man hijacked my experience to advance his own (deluded) agenda."
She added: "I would have been satisfied that his behaviour would speak for itself."
Shields went on to say that Cruise's attack left her totally 'gobsmacked', adding: "I was never one to find myself in a public feud."
On reflection, the Endless Love star noted that turning 40 before the feud broke out massively changed her perspective on the situation.
She wrote: "Sitting quietly and letting myself be attacked might have been my approach a decade earlier - I might have even regretted sharing my story or felt insecure that maybe my career was stalling while a powerful male movie star was singling me out, sure that I’d never stand a chance in that fight - but now I was emboldened by life experience."
Shields went on to confirm that Cruise did finally apologise a year later, writing: "Eventually, Tom Cruise apologised to me.
"Not publicly, which would have been the right thing to do, but he came to my house and said he was sorry, and that he felt cornered by Matt Lauer and that he attacked me basically because he could.
"It wasn’t the world’s best apology, but it’s what he was capable of, and I accepted it."
Tyla has contacted Tom Cruise's representatives for comment.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
