Heartbreaking Health Issues Brooke Shields Has Dealt With

The following article includes mentions of sexual abuse, depression, and suicide.

Despite her massive success, it's no secret that Brooke Shields has weathered her fair share of heartbreak and misfortune in life, from experiencing sexual abuse to growing up in a problematic household. Along with Shields' rough childhood and tragic past, she has faced many other hardships, including the death of her parents and struggles related to both the actor's mental and physical health. Over the years, Shields had been diagnosed with severe postnatal depression and been in and out of the hospital for numerous reasons such as a grand mal seizure and emergency surgery. "Sometimes I'm amazed that I survived any of it," she mused in her Hulu documentary "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields" in 2023 (via The New York Times).

Indeed, it's been a pretty tough road for the beloved and highly bankable star. "The injuries that I've had, it's amazing to see what your body is capable of," she informed Health Living magazine in a previous interview. "There's health, and wellbeing. Look at the whole [...] what it means to really live in your body and in your life to your best." Sometimes, we take our bodies and health for granted, says Shields. "It's such an easy thing to overlook and forget," she remarked. "But your body is extraordinary in how it wants to heal, and how much it can do that's miraculous." 

Brooke Shields' journey to motherhood was full of ups and downs. The actor, model, and author of "Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression," has openly discussed her struggles after welcoming her first child with husband Chris Henchy in 2003. In an essay for The New York Times, Shields recalled how she didn't feel a connection with her daughter, Rowan Francis — who has grown up to be her twin — and how this, alongside her lack of maternal instincts, almost led the "Mother of the Bride" star to suicide. "This baby was a stranger to me," she admitted. "I didn't know what to do with her. I didn't feel at all joyful."

In fact, "All I wanted to do was disappear and die," Shields confessed while speaking for the Hope for Depression Research Foundation a few years later, in 2009 (via People). There were several dark moments when she considered intentionally overdosing on meds or crashing her car into a wall due to her mental struggles. It wasn't until later on that Shields managed to get professional help and was properly diagnosed by her doctor. "I learned what was going on inside my body and what was going on inside my brain," she confirmed in her speech. "I learned I wasn't doing anything wrong to feel that way. That it was actually out of my control."

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

In 2021, Brooke Shields revealed in an op-ed for Elle magazine that she had been diagnosed with a pre-cancerous skin disorder called Actinic Keratosis (aka Solar Keratosis) during one of her yearly trips to the doctor. Keratosis is one of those rough, scaly spots on your skin caused by prolonged exposure to the sun that, if left undiagnosed, can lead to skin cancer. People over the age of 50 with naturally fair skin, like Shields, have a tendency to develop this type of skin growth, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. Frequent use of tanning beds is also a major factor. "I was never an avid sunscreen user," Shields divulged in her essay. "I come from a generation that was never educated on the seriousness of skin cancer." 

She continued, "We did not use sunscreen in high school because it would prevent us from getting the sun-kissed look that we were all going for." Nowadays, daily sunscreen application is a non-negotiable for Shields regardless of whether the sun is out. She also stopped actively tanning entirely following her close brush with skin cancer. As the "Blue Lagoon" star relayed to New Beauty, "The idea of prevention became much more important to me." Shields added sagely, "Once you incorporate them into your daily routine, they do take on another meaning." 

Brooke Shields spent the first few weeks of 2021 recovering in the hospital after a horrifying accident in the gym left her with a broken femur. The model and actor shared on the "Rachael Ray Show" that she was exercising on a balance board when Shields suddenly lost her balance and fell on her side on the floor. "I flew up in the air and landed on the one piece of cement that was in the gym and I broke my femur — just clean it in half," she recounted. The "Endless Love" star ended up needing not one but three surgeries alongside undergoing extensive physical therapy in order to learn how to walk once more. On Instagram, Shields shared the news with her fans via a clip of herself in a hospital gown and walking with a crutch.

During her recovery, Shields divulged that she also developed a staph infection which typically occurs in people who have recently had surgery or were confined in a hospital setting. Despite her accident, she considers herself incredibly lucky to have come out the other side scathed, but still in one piece. "It was the worst injury I've ever had, but I was still counting my blessings that I was able to be taken care of," she reasoned with Ray.

Just two years after her gym accident, Brooke Shields found herself in another scary situation when she suffered a grand mal seizure due to low sodium levels and drinking too much water. The actor made the startling revelation while chatting with Glamour as one of their 2023 Women of the Year, noting that it happened just ahead of the debut of her one-woman show, "Previously Owned by Brooke Shields," in New York. The stunning star was at a renowned restaurant in the West Village when she lost all consciousness and collapsed, accidentally hitting her head on a wall in the process. "I start having a grand mal seizure. It means frothing at the mouth, totally blue, trying to swallow my tongue," she disclosed. "The next thing I remember, I'm being loaded into an ambulance. I have oxygen on."

Interestingly, it was none other than Bradley Cooper who brought her to the hospital where Shields was hooked up to an IV and assigned to the intensive care unit. Later, it was discovered that over-dehydration and hyponatraemia caused her seizure. "Low sodium. I had had too much water. I flooded my system, and I drowned myself," Shields explained. "And if you don't have enough sodium in your blood or urine or your body, you can have a seizure."

In 2018, Brooke Shields underwent a partial knee replacement surgery in order to fix the damage on her right joint caused by years of physical strain and activity. She first announced the news in an Instagram post alongside a photo of herself in the hospital holding two thumbs up, post-op. While chatting with Prevention a couple of years later, the model and actor opened up about her painful injury, detailing how she'd been having trouble for quite some time and ultimately opted to have the surgery so she wouldn't be in any further discomfort. "I never thought I'd have knee problems, and I've got nothing but knee problems," Shields quipped. 

Amid her plethora of medical issues, the author, who turned 59 in May 2024, has learned to prioritize her well-being through regular exercise, adequate rest and sleep, and mindful eating (she loves a good meal and still drinks alcohol every once in a while). As with most things in life, balance is key. "You have to be able to treat your body in the way it deserves to be treated, so you have it longer," the "Pretty Baby" star argued. What matters most, as far as she's concerned, is showing up for yourself. "It's never, ever too late to make healthy changes," Shields said.