For Brooke Shields, motherhood very nearly didn't happen at all. By her own admission, she had a truly difficult time trying to conceive, having tried every IVF solution possible with seemingly no success. Both she and husband Chris Henchy had agreed that the stress and disappointment the process was causing to both of them was no longer worth it, and that they should give up after the course they were currently going through.
As if by magic, on that last attempt, Shields became pregnant, and at the age of 40 gave birth to her daughter, Grier. A happy and grateful Shields still serves to this day as a spokesperson for 'Fertility Lifelines', the organization that provided her with a lot of support and care as she battled to become a parent. The birth of her daughter was the catalyst for Shields's memorable feud with Tom Cruise, who disapproved of her use of medication to cope with postpartum depression.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.