Brooke Shields, long celebrated as a beauty icon and successful actress, has opened up about the criticism and trauma she faced behind the scenes. Now 57, Shields revealed that her mother and manager, Teri, was her first harsh critic, often body-shaming her — remarks that deeply affected how Shields saw herself for years. Teri died in 2012 after battling alcoholism, but the emotional impact lingered.
It was Shields’ husband of 17 years, screenwriter Chris Henchy, who helped her embrace her body and sense of self, encouraging her to see her own beauty after years of insecurity. Despite global admiration, Shields admits she never felt she had the “perfect body,” even as a teenage model and actress.
Shields has also recently shared, for the first time, that she was sexually assaulted by a Hollywood executive shortly after graduating from Princeton University more than 30 years ago. Afraid she wouldn’t be believed or would lose her career, she kept silent for decades, blaming herself for the attack.
Now telling her story in the documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, she says she hopes to help others feel less alone and encourage women to speak their truth, adding, “It’s a miracle that I survived.”