Brooke Shields captivated Hollywood as a younger mannequin and actress within the ’80s, however she performs a really totally different starring function at house—as a mother to her two daughters, Rowan Francis Henchy and Grier Hammond Henchy.
The mannequin and actress’s journey to motherhood was not straightforward, as she underwent seven rounds of fertility therapies earlier than turning into pregnant and ultimately struggling a miscarriage.
After the beginning of her eldest daughter, Shields suffered from postpartum despair, which turned the catalyst for her ebook Down Got here the Rain: My Journey Via Postpartum Despair and her advocacy for higher consciousness of PPD. “I used to be deadened, and it terrified me as a result of I needed to have a child so badly,” Shields, 59, shared on the 2024 PHM HealthFront, a two-day occasion for healthcare entrepreneurs and well being media.
Shields—the actor well-known for The Blue Lagoon, Limitless Love, and Fairly Child—then naturally conceived her second youngster, Grier. She shares her two daughters along with her husband, Chris Henchy, whom she wed in 2001 after assembly by means of mutual pals.
However now, along with her second transferring on to varsity, Shields and her husband, who’ve cherished a close-knit household life of their Greenwich Village, New York, house, are going through a brand new chapter. In a latest interview with PEOPLE on Aug. 28, she admitted, “I’m terrified to be an empty nester!”
Watching her daughters develop into assured younger ladies, Shields mentioned she is left in “awe.”
“Hastily, they’re not yours anymore,” she mentioned. “Once you notice they’re their very own human beings, you get to satisfy them once more. To have them reveal themselves to you, it’s a brand new sort of relationship. I didn’t mildew them, however I protected them sufficient in order that they might turn out to be who they’re—and I obtained out of the way in which.”
Study all about what these younger ladies are as much as today—and their heartwarming bond with their mother—right here!
Rowan Francis Henchy, 21
Shields and Henchy welcomed their first daughter, Rowan Francis, on Could 15, 2003—whom Shields affectionately described as “a golden retriever pet.”
“Rowan bounces round. She’s obtained vitality. She’s humorous.”
Now 21, Rowan—who’s loved a detailed relationship along with her mom since she was a younger woman—is a senior at Wake Forest College. When Shields mentioned goodbye to her firstborn heading off to varsity, she shared an emotional submit on Instagram, writing: “That was the saddest drive away from wherever I’ve ever needed to make.”
“My distinctive and extraordinary child woman spreading her wings. I like you so. We’re so pleased with you…However my child is BEGINNING one of the vital essential adventures of her life so far…NOW!” Brooke added.
And it didn’t get any simpler for the following goodbye, as Shields posted an emotional TikTok exhibiting her sobbing inconsolably after her daughter left house for faculty once more.
“Seems second time is NOT the attraction with regards to your child going off to varsity. Sophomore yr, right here she comes. I’ll be crying when you want me…” she wrote on the time.
As Rowan carves her personal path, she nonetheless follows in her mother’s footsteps within the sweetest methods. Brooke shared a heartwarming second on Instagram when her daughter wore her iconic crimson 1998 Golden Globes gown to promenade, writing that “nothing may have ready her” for the event. For a highschool commencement present, Brooke and Rowan went to Stefano’s Tattoo Studio in New York Metropolis to get matching crimson ladybug tattoos. The mother-daughter ink was Rowan’s concept; Brooke instructed PEOPLE she “couldn’t imagine it” and “jumped” on the concept.
Grier Hammond Henchy, 18
Shields and Henchy welcomed their second daughter, Grier Hammond, on April 18, 2006, in Los Angeles–who reverse to her sister, Shields described as “an Abyssinian cat.”
“Grier could be very poised. She’s pristine and put collectively,” Shields mentioned of her youthful daughter. The outline appears becoming, because the mannequin’s lookalike has proven an curiosity in vogue and is contemplating a future in modeling or leisure—however solely after finishing her schooling, following her mom’s recommendation.
“My children aren’t lacking college,” Shields instructed Social Life. “My mind was the one factor that obtained me out of that craziness.”
Although Brooke has made her emotions clear, the 18-year-old’s Instagram bio notes that she’s already represented by IMG Fashions, and he or she recurrently shares pictures showcasing her vogue sense.
Though Brooke hopes to protect her women from the leisure business, she embraces each second she will be able to spend with them, whether or not it’s making TikToks collectively or staging a photograph shoot in matching plaid swimsuits. “When you could have youngsters, you’re taking what you may get,” she joked to Folks. “It’s about simply celebrating life and that we’re all popping out of this loopy time and we’re collectively…anytime that I can spend with them, I encourage to do it.”
The mother-daughter duo additionally appeared in a female-empowerment-themed marketing campaign for Victoria’s Secret. “To have the ability to shoot this marketing campaign with my daughter and to showcase the fantastic thing about our relationship was a dream come true,” Shields wrote forward of Mom’s Day 2022 through Instagram as she shared a pic from the marketing campaign. Extra not too long ago, the mannequin revealed that her daughter was her date to the 2023 CNN Heroes ceremony with a sequence of pictures along with her daughter on Instagram.
Brooke shared how Grier felt about Fairly Child. “Grier checked out it as all of the issues that I saved from her … She was outraged, and he or she was very unhappy,” she mentioned on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna. “She mentioned, ‘Nothing you say to me, Mother, goes to make it higher … She mentioned, ‘I hate seeing dangerous issues occur to you.’”
Now transferring on to her first yr at Wake Forest, becoming a member of her older sibling, Brooke feels a bit higher realizing, “They’re going to have one another’s again.”
“They’re each robust and strong-willed. The world shouldn’t be going to undo them. I’m pleased with who they’re,” Shields mentioned.
“I’m going to actually miss them,” she added. “I wish to keep on the periphery, however I’m additionally enthusiastic about what’s forward.”