Pamela Anderson has opened up about what caused her to leave Hollywood and move back home to Canada.

The ex-Playboy model shared with Women’s Wear Daily her reasons, and it’s incredibly touching.

The actress, who rose to fame in the 90s after being cast in the hit US lifeguard series.

From then on, she became a sex symbol and went on to pose for Playboy several times, but has since stripped away her persona.

However, things took a turn after she got married to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee for a few years after their sex tape was leaked and the pair split up shortly afterwards.

The 1996 tape weighed on her significantly and brought an onslaught of criticism towards her, more so than her husband or the person who leaked the tape.

Even though 28 years have passed since the tape, it’s still very much alive in people’s thoughts today.

Because of this and the subsequent years after, Anderson needed to get back in touch with herself.

Pamela Anderson is shedding her previous image (Instagram/pamelaanderson)

She Women’s Wear Daily that ‘to really kind of look at [her] life and remember who [she] was.’

She explained: “Not what other people were telling me I was — and I didn’t want anything that had happened to me define me.

“I wanted what I do to define me… all these realizations came to me in the rose garden.”

She told the publication: “I didn’t want anything that had happened to me define me.

“I wanted what I do to define me.”

The 57-year-old left for Vancouver Island during a period of reflecting upon her life.

Speaking to Better Homes & Gardens in August, Anderson said she ‘kind of gave up at some point’ and ‘needed a change’.

She shared: “I don’t know what happened over the last few decades, but I feel now so far removed from the image of who I was.”

The actress also shared that she had felt ‘very sad and lonely’ and ‘misunderstood’ by those around her.

“I felt like I had really screwed up, that my whole life was a bundle of mistakes,” she said.

Anderson is inspiring others to bare their faces (The Drew Barrymore Show/ CBS)

But since moving away and getting out of Hollywood, she’s found it ‘such a relief that I get to be myself and enjoy this time’.

She said: “People have this pneumatic kind of image of me from Playboy to ‘Baywatch,’ to my rock ’n’ roll type of husbands, to everything else.

“But I also played into the image that was created around me. I’m glad I did all that, but I’m really glad I’m where I am now.”

where she spoke about being single, being happy in her skin and living life how she wants to.

Because of her infamous make-up-free look at Paris Fashion Week last year, Barrymore joined her in baring her face as they chatted and cooked together.

Anderson admitted to Better Homes & Gardens magazine earlier this year her reason for choosing to stop wearing make up: “That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself.

“What is this cartoon character that I’d created? OK, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore.”

It’s hard not to think of Baywatch without thinking of Pamela Anderson, and because of her role as Casey Jean ‘CJ’ Parker, she became the unofficial face of the show.

The 57-year-old quickly became an international sex symbol during the 1990s for Baywatch and her stint on Playboy over the years.

However, it’s a persona that seemed to stick with the actor for a long while – and it’s something that she’s made a conscious effort to distance herself from following the

Now in 2024, the red swimsuit and her iconic makeup look has long gone, with Anderson having recently ventured into the world of books by writing her first plant-based cookbook, I Love You: Recipes From The Heart, while also sending her acting career in a completely different direction.

Last year, the former model debuted her Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, and her latest project, The Last Showgirl, was shown at the San Sebastian Film Festival recently to rave reviews from those in attendance.

Releasing in February 2025, The Last Showgirl sees Anderson joined by Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song and Halloween’s Jamie Lee Curtis in the new drama.

Pamela Anderson is well-known for her role as CJ Parker in Baywatch (Kypros/Getty Images)

After seeing the incredible reaction to the film at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Anderson spoke to Hello! about how she has stepped back from the sex symbol persona created for her following the show’s success.

She told the outlet: “I think being a woman in your 50s is inspirational. I’ve got off the rollercoaster of emotions over the past few decades. I barely even remember them, but here I am, and with all this experience.”

She continued: “You know, I’m 57 years old. A lot of my career was about physicality, and it’s been a journey, but it’s also been part of the reason I’ve done this experiment with myself; to peel it all back, remember who I am and not be defined by what people do to me, but defined by what I do, and to have passion for the work and not become bitter or jaded — still finding joy in the process, in life and in this business.”

Pamela Anderson says she conducted an ‘experiment’ to ‘peel it all back’ and ‘remember who she is’ (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Giorgio Armani)

Anderson called the experience of filming The Last Showgirl ‘wonderful’, adding that it was nice to be ‘surrounded by women who genuinely and authentically care about one another, like meeting with Jamie Lee Curtis and having these kind of relationships’.

“It’s so very welcome.” she said.

And after her long career in the spotlight, Anderson has a new outlook on life following all the hardships it has dealt her.

She continued: “Even if people don’t believe in you, you have to believe in you and push yourself because it’s very easy to pigeonhole somebody – so you have to find reasons to keep blowing people’s minds.”

A sex tape of the then-married pair was leaked over the course of their relationship, something which Hulu drama Pam & Tommy – starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan – centered itself on.

Away from TV and film, Anderson has graced the covers of magazines like Playboy, Empire, Variety, Rolling Stone and even Vogue over the years.

But in more recent times, Anderson has notably taken a step back from the glitz and glamor that comes with her job and has rewritten the rules when it comes to beauty.

In particular, the 57-year-old has received a lot of praise for ditching make-up completely and embracing her natural beauty instead.

Pamela Anderson now often attends red carpet events makeup-less. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Once known for her risqué outfits, the mom-of-two now opts for more conservative ensembles in a complete image rebrand.

Speaking about not wearing make-up anymore, Anderson told Better Homes & Gardens magazine: “That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself.

“What is this cartoon character that I’d created? OK, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore.”

When asked about the concept of achieving ‘perfection’, Anderson further shared: “I don’t think I was ever striving for perfection. But somewhere along the way, I started thinking that I want to challenge the idea of beauty and this mask we put on. As soon as I took the mask off, the whole world opened up.”

Pamela pictured in 1990. (Mick Hutson/Redferns)

She went on to note that at Paris Fashion Week 2023 she opted to spend her time exploring the Louvre instead of sitting in a make-up chair for three hours.

Anderson has also made a huge change to her life geographically and left her Malibu home in favor of her childhood home – Vancouver Island.

“Coming back to my childhood home has revealed a very magical path to me,” she said. “It’s a romantic way of living in nature with compassion and sensuality.”

Anderson’s interview comes ahead of the release of her cookbook titled I Love You: Recipes from the Heart.

It’s expected to hit shelves on October 15.

Liam Neeson has gushed about working with Pamela Anderson on their new flick, admitting he’s ‘madly in love’ with the star.

The veteran actors star in The Naked Gun, an upcoming reboot of the much loved Leslie Nielsen comedy.

Neeson plays Drebin Jr., likely the son of Nielsen’s character Frank Drebin in the OG

The  comedy film is officially the fifth flick in The Naked Gun franchise, with the likes of Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, and Busta Rhymes all featuring.

Filming for the reboot commenced earlier this year, and it appears and Anderson developed quite the mutual admiration for each other.

Pamela Anderson features alongside Liam Neeson in the new movie (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

Speaking in a new issue of People Magazine, the Taken star “With Pamela, first off, I’m madly in love with her. She’s just terrific to work with.

“I can’t compliment her enough, I’ll be honest with you. No huge ego. She just comes in to do the work. She’s funny and so easy to work with. She’s going to be terrific in the film.”

Anderson also had huge praise for her co-star, with the actor dubbing Neeson the ‘perfect gentleman’.

“He brings out the best in you… with respect, kindness and depth of experience. It was an absolute honor to work with him,” she added to People.

As the star of a new comedy, Neeson appears to have some doubts about his own comedic ability.

I mean, this is the legend that is Liam Neeson at the end of the day, I’m sure he’ll smash it – but imposter syndrome is certainly real, even for Hollywood actors.

“Whether I can carry it or not, I honestly don’t know,” Neeson added.

Liam Neeson admitted he’s ‘madly in love’ with Anderson (Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Anderson certainly disagrees with that sentiment however, as she revealed what Neeson was like during filming.

“It was hard to keep a straight face in scenes together,” she said before describing him as ‘humble’.

While Neeson is pleased to be involved with The Naked Gun, he remains The actor is not a fan of the franchise’s seemingly never-ending spin-offs, as he told Conan O’Brien on his Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast: “There’s so many movies and spin-offs now I think it’s diluting the whole thing, that’s my personal thing.

“Occasionally there’s kids after a Star Wars autograph and I don’t want to give autographs at the airport.”