Actress Brooke Shields has revealed that while she adores her “hot” husband, Chris Henchy, she sometimes pretends to be asleep to avoid intimacy.
In her newly released memoir, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman, published on Tuesday, January 14, the 59-year-old actress shared candid insights about her personal life, including her shifting feelings about intimacy.
“I was talking to a doctor recently who asked about my sex life, and I told her I have no desire and that I’m fine with it,” Shields wrote. “Turns out, she was not fine with it.”
Shields reflected on how her once “fervent s£x drive” in her younger years was complicated by her relationship with her late mother, Teri Shields.
“My connection with my boyfriend was a personal affront to her because having a man in my life in such a real way meant that she was losing me,” she explained. “Oh, how I wish I’d just let the lust take over! But I was never able to do that.”
This dynamic, Shields noted, has influenced her 23-year marriage to Henchy, 60. The couple, who tied the knot in 2001, share two daughters, Rowan, 21, and Grier, 18.
“Here I am, more than 35 years later, sometimes pretending I’m asleep when I know Chris is in the mood,” she admitted. “That has nothing to do with Chris — he’s hot! He’s been working out at a boxing gym recently, and he looks incredible.”
Shields attributed her diminished s£x drive to the “bodily s***” she has experienced as she ages. She acknowledged that avoiding intimacy is “not great” and said she is working on it.
The actress also opened up about physical challenges, including pain during intimacy following a past surgery. She previously told Us Weekly about undergoing an unconsented vaginal rejuvenation procedure by a plastic surgeon.
“For me to fully enjoy s£x at this point, I need my lotions and potions, the right sleepwear (maybe calling it sleepwear is contributing to the problem), my special pillow, and maybe a tequila so I can relax,” she wrote, emphasizing that Henchy is “not at all the problem.”
Shields also recounted being “lectured” by a doctor about the importance of s£x in a relationship, but she remains open to exploring solutions. “Listen, there’s nothing wrong with using whatever you need! Whatever it takes,” she concluded.
