FROM glamorous Baywatch Babe to make-up free mum and cookbook author – Pamela Anderson’s life has changed completely and she is loving every minute.
The 57-year-old actress, who has gone from looking red hot in a swimsuit to being red hot in the kitchen, says she has finally learned to love herself and is content with her lot.
Former Playboy pin-up Pamela, who has been married five times, reveals ditching her makeup, big hair and raunchy outfits and embracing her love of plant-based cooking has been the best decision she has ever made.
The mum-of-two, who shot to fame playing lifeguard CJ Parker on Baywatch, admits she has been overwhelmed by the global support for her healthy cooking tips and makeup-free appearance.
Pamela, whose cookbook “I love You: Recipes From The Heart,” is out now, said: “Going for a more natural look was something I suddenly felt compelled to do. I was in Paris for Fashion Week, I was going to the Louvre and it was when I was getting ready that I suddenly started to think about why I was doing all this hair and makeup. Who is it for? So I decided then to stop and just be me.
“I had no idea it would become such a thing. I never intended it to be a big statement or anything but I happy that it’s resonated with so many people in a such a positive way.
“I have had women come up to me, thanking me. I have had women and their little daughters coming up to me, wanting to talk to me. It’s amazing but it’s something I really did just do for me. It feels right for me in a really cathartic way.”
The former sex symbol, who has appeared on the cover of countless magazines, said: “Everyone has also been really positive about my cookbook. I’ve always loved cooking. I love baking especially but I have always cooked. I love to cook for my friends, my family – my boys especially. I love making soup for them when they come home. It’s so wholesome and healthy. I’m also a big pickler. I pickle everything.
“I absolutely love plant-based cooking – that’s what I’m really into. It’s so healthy, so good for you and good for the planet but it can be kind of intimidating. That’s really what the book is for, to share a little of what I have learned over the years with everyone. It’s about sharing plant-based recipes and maybe encouraging people to try them as part of whatever diet you are on or whatever you eat.”
Pamela, who was born in British Columbia, Canada, reveals the idea for the recipe book came from her two sons Brandon, 28, and Dylan, 27, who she shares with her first husband musician Tommy Lee, 62.
She said: “It was actually my sons, Brandon and Dylan, who gave me the idea. They encouraged me to do it after I gave them a recipe box as a housewarming gift. They loved it and said I should go to a publisher and make it into a book. I just did what I was told.
“I love you was what I had engraved on the recipe card box for my sons so I Love You: Recipes from the Heart is really just inspired from that. I love cooking and this book and the recipes in it really are from the heart.”
Pamela, who had a cameo role in the 2016 Baywatch movie alongside Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, added: “The book also shows how gardening plays a big part in my healthy lifestyle. I always say that gardening saved me.
“A few years ago, when I moved from LA back home to Canada, the first thing I did was start a vegetable garden. It was also the best thing I did.
“It felt like something I was doing for me. It felt like part of a new chapter and the cooking is part of that. Did I think it would lead to a cook book and everything else that is happening right now? No but I am very grateful. Not everyone gets a a second chance like this.”
The actress, who has received rave reviews for her role in upcoming movie The Last Showgirl, reveals her documentary “Pamela Anderson: A Love Story” was the moment she realised it was okay to be her true natural self.
She said: “The documentary was a turning point. Showing a certain kind of authenticity and vulnerability is something that people tell me they really responded to.
“I’m so happy to celebrate that and to bring that to my character in The Last Showgirl. Shelley as a character is a parallel of who I was, of who I am now and how I have been able to show the real me for the first time in my life.”
Pamela, whose movie is due out in early 2025, added: “Shelley is the role of a lifetime. It’s the kind of role I always wanted but never had the chance to play.
“I was always too young, too underestimated or just too busy making the wrong choices. But I couldn’t have played Shelley without the lifetime of experiences and the journey I have been on. It’s like it was all meant to lead here.”
Pamela says it feels amazing to be so loved and appreciated around the world at this stage in her career. She said: “I’m not going to lie, it feels good. It feels like a second chance that paid off. Doors are suddenly opening for me in a way that they never did before. I just feel so blessed and so grateful.
“Looking back on my life I don’t really have any regrets. Have I made mistakes? Of course. But I don’t have many regrets. It was exciting. I would maybe do some things differently, tackled certain things more but you can’t really regret things in life like that.
“I’m proud to be here now doing things I love. I’m proud to be a mother to my two sons and grateful to have the energy to do everything I’m doing now and next. I’m excited for the future more than I am looking back with any regret.”
Pamela, who has starred in dozens of TV show and films including Barb Wire and Dancing With the Stars, added: “If I could go back and give the young Pamela Anderson a piece of advice I would tell her, “try not to worry so much! Just keep going and be yourself. Enjoy it. It’s going to be alright.”
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