Pamela Anderson has recently shared her motivations for stepping away from Hollywood and returning to her roots in Canada.
In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, the former Playboy model revealed her heartfelt reasons for this significant life change.
The actress, who gained fame in the 1990s on the popular U.S. lifeguard series, became known as a sex symbol, frequently posing for Playboy magazine. However, she has since distanced herself from that image.
Her life took a dramatic turn when she married Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, and they faced a public scandal when their private tape was leaked. The couple separated soon after the incident, which brought a torrent of criticism her way, more than what was directed at her husband or the individual responsible for the leak.
Although many years have passed since the tape was released, it continues to linger in public memory.
This, along with the events that followed, prompted Anderson to reconnect with her true self.
She told Women’s Wear Daily that her departure from the entertainment industry and her move were to “really kind of look at [her] life and remember who [she] was.”
Anderson elaborated: “Not what other people were telling me I was — and I didn’t want anything that had happened to me define me.”
“I wanted what I do to define me… all these realizations came to me in the rose garden.”
She reiterated to the publication: “I didn’t want anything that had happened to me define me.”
“I wanted what I do to define me.”
At 57, Anderson relocated to Vancouver Island to reflect on her life.
In August, she disclosed to Better Homes & Gardens that she “kind of gave up at some point” and needed a fresh start.
She remarked: “I don’t know what happened over the last few decades, but I feel now so far removed from the image of who I was.”
The actress also expressed feelings of sadness, loneliness, and misunderstanding from those around her.
“I felt like I had really screwed up, that my whole life was a bundle of mistakes,” she confessed.
Since leaving Hollywood, she finds solace in being herself and relishing this new chapter of her life.
She stated: “People have this pneumatic kind of image of me from Playboy to ‘Baywatch,’ to my rock ’n’ roll type of husbands, to everything else.
“But I also played into the image that was created around me. I’m glad I did all that, but I’m really glad I’m where I am now.”
Anderson recently appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show, discussing her contentment with being single and embracing her true self.
During Paris Fashion Week last year, Anderson gained attention for her makeup-free look, prompting Barrymore to join her in going au naturel as they cooked and conversed.
Anderson revealed to Better Homes & Gardens her decision to abandon wearing makeup: “That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself.”
“What is this cartoon character that I’d created? OK, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore.”