Actress Brooke Shields recently spoke out about her frustrating experience with a misdiagnosis and subsequent collapse due to low sodium levels. The 58-year-old star, known for her roles in Suddenly Susan and Pretty Baby, collapsed while preparing for her one-woman show in New York in September. After tests revealed that her condition was caused by low sodium, Shields was infuriated when medical professionals assumed she had deliberately changed her diet to look slimmer.
In an interview with America’s Glamour magazine, Shields explained, Low sodium. I had had too much water. I flooded my system, and I drowned myself. And if you don’t have enough sodium in your blood or urine or your body, you can have a seizure. She expressed her frustration with male doctors who repeatedly asked if she was limiting her salt intake, stating, You know what? I’ve had it with male doctors. I look younger when I’m bloated. If I’m bloated, people think I’ve had Botox. So as a 58-year-old woman, I’m not limiting my salt, okay? Stop trying to make me a crazy actress or a female that doesn’t know what the f*** they’re doing. Shields attributed her dehydration to the sheer amount of singing she was doing for her show and podcast and spoke about how she was advised to eat potato chips daily to combat her low sodium levels.
During her ordeal at L’Artusi restaurant, Shields’ husband Chris Henchy was unreachable, and it was her spouse’s assistant who ended up contacting another assistant, resulting in Hollywood heartthrob Bradley Cooper coming to her aid. Shields described the experience as odd and surreal and initially believed she was experiencing death. She recalled, The next thing I remember, I’m being loaded into an ambulance. I have oxygen on. And Bradley f****** Cooper is sitting next to me holding my hand. I didn’t have a sense of humor. I couldn’t really get any words out. But I thought to myself, This is what death must be like. You wake up and Bradley Cooper’s going, ‘I’m going to go to the hospital with you, Brooke,’ and he’s holding my hand. And I’m looking at my hand, I’m looking at Bradley Cooper’s hand in my hand, and I’m like, ‘This is odd and surreal.’
Shields revealed that Cooper’s assistance came about when his assistant informed him of her condition and the absence of her husband. The ambulance was called, and she felt as if she had walked in with Jesus by her side. The unexpected presence of a Hollywood star added an unexpected dimension to an already unsettling experience.
Overall, Brooke Shields’ brave revelation sheds light on the importance of appropriate medical diagnoses and the frustration that misinterpretations can cause. Her insistence on being treated as a competent individual, regardless of her gender and age, resonates with many women facing similar situations. Shields’ surreal encounter with Bradley Cooper during her collapse serves as a reminder that help can come from unexpected sources, even in Hollywood.
