Pamela Anderson has revealed she’s been battling depression for “a couple of decades,” despite her glamorous Hollywood career.
The 57-year-old actress made the announcement at the Zurich Film Festival, where she attended the premiere of Gia Coppola’s "The Last Showgirl." Anderson was honored with the Golden Eye Award for her career achievements.
“I never thought I would be on stage, receiving an award like that,” she shared at the festival, according to Variety. “I just want to keep working. I’m excited to do more.”
Reflecting on her career, she said, “I look at it now, and it feels like I went from ‘Baywatch’ to Broadway. I don’t know what happened in between, it’s all a big blur." She added, "I think I’ve had depression for a couple of decades."
Her career had a resurgence with the release of the 2023 documentary, Pamela, a Love Story, by Ryan White. Anderson also released her memoir, Love, Pamela that same year.
“Ryan made that doc, and that’s how Gia saw me," Anderson explained. "I always knew I was capable of more. It’s great to be part of pop culture, but it’s a blessing and a curse.”
“People fall in love with you because of a bathing suit," she said. "It has taken a long time, but I am here."
In the '90s, Anderson gained fame as a Playboy model, first appearing on the cover in 1989 and becoming Playmate of the Month in February 1990. She broke records with 14 total cover appearances.
Her modeling career led her to acting, first as the “Tool Time Girl” on Home Improvement in 1991, and then on Baywatch, which made her a household name.
These days, Anderson feels “far removed” from her Hollywood image. She’s embraced her natural beauty and no longer wears makeup, stepping away from her “cartoon character” persona.
“That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself,” she recently told Better Homes & Gardens. “What is this cartoon character I’d created? OK, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore.”