Brooke Shields Details Near Fatal Experience With Postpartum Depression

Brooke Shields has been an open book with her struggles with postpartum depression, but recent revelation expresses the true depths of her despair.

The 57-year-old actress and socialite first gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in 1978  Louis Malle's film "Pretty Baby." Going on to marry Chris Henchy in 2001 propelled her into the blissful world of motherhood; however, birthing her daughters- Rowan Francis and Grier Hammond- did come with its challenges.

During the early 2000s, the mom-of-two conversed with magazines- such as Guideposts- and appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey" show to openly discuss her battle with postpartum depression.

In 2006, the "Lipstick Jungle" alum released a memoir titled "Down Came to the Rain," where she first spoke about her PPD. Once again, Shields takes the stage with Marc Marcon on "WTF With Marc Maron" to publicize the heart-wrenching struggles.

On Monday, "The Blue Lagoon" actress, who has frequently talked about how she was sexualized as a young child in Hollywood, had some choice words for Marcon's podcast listeners about the near-death experience she faced when going through postpartum depression.

The model voiced how she feared she would "drive [her] car into a wall" on California's 405 freeway during her "terrible" postpartum depression. She said the "terrifying" experience was so scary that she had to call her doctor from the car.

Shields' doctor stayed on the phone with her until she arrived home, telling her she had to go "back on the medicine immediately." The "Endless Love" star commented on the medication, saying, "I started just feeling more myself, so I went off … because clearly, I was a doctor by that point."

Like most patients, the "Suddenly Susan" alum was initially reluctant to take medication for her depression since she thought she could evade the consequences. But her family members and friends pleaded with her to get help. "It was so bleak," Shields said. "My mother-in-law called me and said I had dead eyes. I finally said OK, to get everybody off my back." 

The American actress and model encountered a traumatic experience that she kept secret for a long time. However, decades later, she felt it was the right time to speak about how she was raped as a young girl in her new documentary.

The Blast shared that in the Hulu documentary "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields," the "Misadventures of Margaret" star disclosed that the disturbing event happened to her in her twenties, and it also examines her ascent to a rising star and fame.

In the recently released documentary, Shields said she was raped by a man she knew shortly after graduating from Princeton. The circumstances came about because she was having trouble finding employment even though she attained success initially as a child star.

She narrated how she had a late dinner with the unidentified man with the idea that they would discuss work stuff, but he reportedly convinced her to return to his hotel room after they were done, saying he would call her for a ride.

The "Blue Lagoon" actress further explained that the unnamed man sexually assaulted her upon getting to the room; he disappeared after they arrived and returned to the room naked.

The "What Makes a Man" actress said she went with the assault as she couldn't fight back out of fear that doing so might provoke further physical harm. "I was afraid I'd get choked out," she said. "So I didn't fight that much. I didn't. I just absolutely froze."

Shields then pointed out that she believed saying "no" once would adequately stop the act, adding, "God knows I knew how to be disassociated from my body. I'd practiced that… I went down in the elevator, and I got my cab. I just cried to my friend's apartment."

The "Two and a Half Men" guest star said she could not admit or confront the issue after the ordeal, even after an aide pointed out the obvious. She claimed the assistant had said, "That's rape," but replied, "I'm not willing to believe that."