After nearly 20 years of receiving criticism from Tom Cruise For her “irresponsible” approach to treating postpartum depression, Brooke Shields has spoken out about the apology she “ultimately” received from the Golden Globe-winning actor.
In her new memoir, Brooke Shields' Not Allowed to Grow Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman, Golden Globe Award nominee She detailed Cruise's apology after his explosive interview with former “Today” show host Matt Lauer in 2005, saying that the “Top Gun” actor attacked her “because he could.”
During his interview, Cruz claimed that Shields' prescription for postpartum depression “didn't cure anything.”
Brooke Shields said actor Tom Cruise has “finally” apologized for his comments about her treatment for postpartum depression. (Getty Images)
“There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance,” Cruz-Leuer said at the time. “The thing I say about Brock is that there is misinformation out there.” “She doesn't understand the history of psychiatry.”
In response, Shields wrote an op-ed for New York TimesHe called Cruz's comments “an insult to mothers everywhere.”
“I couldn't stand the sound of (my daughter) Rowan crying, and I dreaded the moments my husband would bring me to me,” Shields wrote at the time. “I wanted it to go away. I wanted it to disappear. At my worst, I thought about swallowing a bottle of pills or jumping out of my apartment window.”
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“I couldn't believe it when my doctor told me I had it Postpartum depression He gave me a prescription for the antidepressant Paxil. I wasn't happy using drugs. In fact, I stopped taking it prematurely and had a relapse that almost led to me driving my car into a wall with Rowan in the back seat. But it was the medications, along with weekly therapy sessions, that saved me – and my family.”
“In the end, Tom Cruise apologized to me… and said he was sorry, that he felt trapped by Matt Lauer and that he basically attacked me because he could.”
Shields wrote an op-ed for The New York Times after Cruise's sensational 2005 interview. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Shields said Cruz's comments showed a “clear lack of understanding” about postpartum depression.
“Comments like those made by Tom Cruise offend mothers everywhere,” she added. “To suggest that I was wrong to take medication for my depression, and that I should have instead taken vitamins and exercise, shows a complete lack of understanding of postpartum depression and childbirth in general. If there is any good that can come from Mr. Cruz’s words Silly rant, let's hope it gives much needed attention to a serious illness.
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Shields admitted in her book that if the comments had been made before she became a mother, she “would have remained quiet.”
“I was going to ignore his ridiculous rants,” she wrote. Entertainment Weekly. “Maybe I would have just sat by while this famous man exploited my experience to further his (deluded) agenda. I would have been satisfied that his behavior would speak for itself.”
Brooke Shields says she spoke out against Cruz's statements for herself and other women facing criticism. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
But Shields insisted on defending herself and “the women who were suffering from irrational and dangerous comments from an uneducated actor who was speaking out of his depth.”
“In the end, Tom Cruise apologized to me,” she wrote. “Not publicly, which would have been the right thing to do, but he came to my house and said he was sorry, that he felt trapped by Matt Lauer and that he basically attacked me because he could. That wasn't the world.” “Best apology, but that's what he was capable of, and I accepted it.”
A representative for Cruz did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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