Brooke Shields recounts a near-fatal birth experience

Brooke Shields has been an open book about her struggles with postpartum depression, but the latest revelation expresses the true depth of her despair.

The 57-year-old actress and socialite first garnered critical acclaim at age 12 for her starring role in Louis Malle’s 1978 film Pretty Baby. Marrying Chris Henchy in 2001 launched her into the blissful world of motherhood; However, the birth of their daughters – Rowan Francis and Grier Hammond – came with challenges.

Brooke Shields describes her tragic experience with postpartum depression

In the early 2000s, the mother of two took to magazines like Guideposts and appeared on the show Oprah Winfrey to speak candidly about her battle with postpartum depression.

In 2006, the Lipstick Jungle grad published a memoir called Down Came to the Rain, in which she first opened up about her PPD. Shields once again takes the stage with Marc Marcon to publicize the heartbreaking battles in WTF With Marc Maron.

On Monday, The Blue Lagoon actress, who has spoken frequently about being sexualized in Hollywood as a young child, had some choice words for Marcon’s podcast Listeners about the near-death experience she had while going through postpartum depression.

The model revealed how she feared she was “driving [her] Car into a wall” on California’s 405 freeway during her “terrible” postpartum depression. She said the “terrible” experience was so scary that she had to call her doctor from the car.

Shields’ doctor stayed on the phone with her until she got home, telling her she needed to “go back on medication immediately.” Commenting on the meds, the “Endless Love” star said, “I started to feel myself more so I left … because I was clearly a doctor at that point.”

Like most patients, the Suddenly Susan graduate was initially reluctant to take medication for her depression, believing she could avoid the consequences. But her family members and friends begged her to get help. “It was so desolate,” Shields said. “My mother-in-law called me and said I had dead eyes. I finally said OK to get everyone off my back.

Shields’ new documentary Pretty Baby reveals her rape experience

The American actress and model went through a traumatic experience that she kept secret for a long time. However, decades later, she felt it was the right time to open up about being raped as a young girl in her new documentary.

The Blast announced that iIn the Hulu documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, the Misadventures of Margaret star revealed that the disturbing event happened to her in her twenties, and also explores her rise to rising stardom and fame.

In the recently released documentary, Shields said she was raped by a man she knew shortly after graduating from Princeton. The circumstances came about because she had difficulty finding employment, although she initially found success as a child star.

She told how she had a late dinner with the unidentified man with the idea that they would discuss work matters, but he reportedly persuaded her to return to his hotel room after they were done, saying he would take her for a ride call up.

The Blue Lagoon actress went on to explain that the unnamed man sexually assaulted her when he walked into the room; He disappeared after her arrival and returned to the room naked.

The What Makes a Man actress said she went through with the attack because she was unable to fight back, fearing it could cause further physical harm. “I was afraid I would be suffocated,” she said. “So I didn’t fight that much. Not me. I just froze.”

Shields then pointed out that she believed saying “no” would appropriately stop the act, adding, “God knows I knew how to get out of my body. I practiced that… I took the elevator down and got my cab. I just cried into my boyfriend’s apartment.”

The “Two and a Half Men” guest star said she couldn’t admit or deal with the issue after the ordeal, even after an assistant pointed out the obvious. She claimed the assistant said, “That’s rape,” but replied, “I don’t want to believe that.”