'Charlie's Angels' Actress Jaclyn Smith Opens Up About Her Long Struggle With OCD, 'Unusual Form..'
In a recent interview, Jaclyn Smith got candid about her long battle with OCD.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleJaclyn Smith has been in the news lately due to her memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie. She is best known for her portrayal of 'Kelly Garrett' in the TV series Charlie’s Angels. Apart from her professional life, Jaclyn has often grabbed significant attention for her personal life.
For the unversed, Jaclyn has had four marriages. In a recent interview, she opened up about her longtime struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). She revealed that it was an unusual form of OCD.
Jaclyn Smith reflects on her long battle with OCD
In her memoir, Jaclyn revealed that her OCD began at the age of 12 after her uncle’s death from alcohol addiction. At the time of his death, Jaclyn’s uncle was 54, and thus she began obsessively praying for family members in an effort to keep them safe. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the Charlie’s Angels star shared that her OCD revolved around worrying about her loved ones. She would pray repeatedly and make sacrifices to keep her loved ones safe. These actions made her less anxious. She said:
"It’s really an unusual form of OCD. It all revolved around loved ones and prayer and sacrifice and manifesting. It just eased my anxiety and my nerves about the people I love so much, and I didn’t want to lose them."
While Jaclyn was in college, she learned about OCD. She realized that many of the things that she had been experiencing were similar to OCD. She also stopped drinking alcohol as her uncle’s death was linked to it. However, she felt relieved because she finally understood what was happening to her. Most importantly, she realized that there was a name for what she was experiencing and that she was not the only person going through it.
Jaclyn revealed that nowadays her OCD gets triggered when she gets stressed and worried about her children, son, Gaston Richmond and, daughter, Spencer Margaret Richmond, whom she shares with her third husband, cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond. She said that with age, she learned she cannot control or prevent everything that happens to the people she loves. She said:
"You just want to catch every raindrop, but I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older that you can’t control everything. You just can’t."
Jaclyn Smith reveals why motherhood once felt impossible after a doctor's warning
In the same interview, Jaclyn shared that motherhood has been the best part of her life. However, when she was young, a doctor’s warning left her heartbroken. After her uncle’s death at 54, the Charlie’s Angels actress experienced a lot of stress and grief. Due to extreme stress, she missed her period. Her mother took her to the doctor, who conducted a blood test.
Seeing the test reports, the doctors informed Jaclyn that her hormones were abnormal and that she might have difficulty conceiving. Recalling the moment, Jaclyn shared in her memoir, "On a purely human level, it felt cruel to tell an anxious, grieving adolescent girl that she could be infertile. He was the doctor, so I believed him, and my anxiety doubled instantly."
Later, in 1981, when Jaclyn Smith discovered that she was pregnant with her son, Gaston, she was totally surprised. She could not believe it because she had previously been told that she might have difficulty having children. Four years later, in 1985, Jaclyn had her daughter, Spencer-Margaret. She added that her children are the most important part of her life.
Jaclyn highlighted that their happiness strongly affects her emotions. If her children are unhappy, she also feels upset. Although Jaclyn and her third husband split in 1989, she still looks back on their marriage with fondness, as he gave her two beautiful kids.
What are your thoughts on Jaclyn Smith's revelation? Let us know.
Pic credit: Jaclyn Smith/IG
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