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Join Telegram ChannelJennie Garth has admitted to having surgery, but probably not in the way you'd imagine.
“I've kept it a secret for so long, but I'm not at a point where I want to hide things anymore,” the actress told Self magazine of the two surgeries she's undergone in the past four years.
At 52, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress has undergone two hip replacements.
“This phenomenon does not only affect octogenarians.
‘BEVERLY HILLS, 90210’ STAR JENNIE GARTH SAYS ACTING IS NO LONGER A ‘PRIORITY’: ‘LIFE IS TOO SHORT’
Jennie Garth has spoken openly about her arthritis in the past, but not about her hip surgeries. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
“I’ve had hip pain for a very long time. It would always make a popping sound when I lifted my legs. But because I’ve been riding horses since I was a kid and dancing as a teenager, I figured all that wear and tear was the cause,” Garth said. “It gradually got worse over the years. At one point it got so bad I couldn’t even walk my dogs. I thought it might be arthritis.”
A doctor would soon confirm that she suffered from osteoarthritis in her knees, thumbs and hips, a nightmare for Garth.
WATCH: JENNIE GARTH DISCUSSES HER OSTEOARTHRITIS DIAGNOSIS
“I was only 45 at the time. I remember feeling old and disoriented by the diagnosis, but I wanted to stay active and keep moving forward. … At 48, I started to feel like I couldn’t keep up with my family in our normal activities.”
Garth remembers being in such excruciating pain during a family ski trip that she was confined to the lodge.
“It was very upsetting because I felt like my quality of life was diminishing. I didn’t want to be someone who couldn’t do the things she loved with her family. Plus, my husband [Dave Abrams] “He's nine years younger than me and in very good physical shape. I didn't want to marry a younger man and start falling apart. This whole trip was an eye-opener. I knew I had to pay attention to what was going on.”
Jennie Garth was worried about looking “old” in front of her husband Dave Abrams, who is nine years younger. (Jennie Garth's Instagram)
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Soon, Garth found a doctor. She remembered him asking her, “What are you doing here? You're so young! We don't have many people your age coming here.”
Garth learned at that visit that his hip joint was not seated properly in its socket and that a hip replacement could improve his situation.
“Although he told me I didn’t need to have the procedure right away, I didn’t need time to think about it. I had so much life ahead of me and I didn’t want to slow down, so I asked my doctor to book me in as soon as possible. I wanted to get it done right away.”
Jennie Garth's first hip surgery took place during the pandemic. (Emily Assiran/Getty Images for the 90s convention)
Unfortunately for Garth, elective surgery wasn’t a top priority in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. She was eventually able to see her doctor and remembers walking out of a medical center the same day with a walker.
“Looking back, I didn’t take it slow enough after surgery or give my body enough time to heal,” Garth said, adding that she quickly replaced her walker with a vacuum three days after surgery.
Garth told the outlet that she “was active again within two months.”
“In the years after that surgery, I felt like a bionic woman. I couldn’t do anything. I kept forgetting I had a hip replacement, with only a four-inch scar on my body to remind me. I started playing golf again, hiking and skiing, all the things I loved. It felt like a miracle, but I had to remind myself, especially when I was on the slopes: ‘Slow down, sister. You have a fake hip.’”
Jennie Garth felt fine for a few years after her first operation. (Rick Kern/WireImage/Getty Images)
“In the years after that surgery, I felt like a bionic woman. I could do anything. I kept forgetting I had a hip replacement.”
Things finally caught up with the “I Choose Me” podcast host this year when her opposite hip started making a “clicking” noise.
“I came out of it more sore and more bedridden than the first time,” she said of her March 2024 surgery. “The whole experience was, and still is, very discouraging. I haven’t had this second hip in a very long time, and I really have to take care of it,” she explained.
“I wanted to show people that you can be fit and healthy after 50. I was at a really great place and felt really strong during my workouts. Plus, I noticed that moving my body helped improve my mood and stopped my joints from getting stiff. Not being able to exercise for so long after that second surgery really took a toll on my mental health.”
Even though she was in the gym a month later, she was still limping and in pain, Garth said.
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“I felt so bad about myself and my recovery, wondering if the extra pain was because I was four years older than when I had my first hip replacement. I had to honor my body, listen to it, and take things slower.”
Garth told Self magazine that she felt “a sense of responsibility to continue to motivate others, but also to set an example for my three daughters, who are the same age I was when I was on '90210.”.'
Jennie Garth said that after her second surgery, she “had to honor her body, listen to it and take things slower.” (Brenton Ho/Variety via Getty Images)
“My personal development was incredibly stunted during my time on the show. I spent some very formative years as a teenager on set, working really hard and having no sense of self,” explained the actress, who played Kelly Taylor on the popular '90s drama.
“I thought my worth was based on my appearance and feeling valued by others. I always wanted to please everyone and look good. I put a lot of pressure on myself when I was younger, but I think I could have been a little more lenient with myself.”
Garth added that losing some of her castmates at a young age – Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty – has pushed her to “stay super active.”
Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty of “Beverly Hills, 90210” have died in the past five years. (Mikel Roberts/Sygma via Getty Images)
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“I felt so bad about myself and my recovery, wondering if the extra pain was because I was four years older than when I had my first hip replacement. I had to honor my body, listen to it, and take things slower.”
Since she's been here six months ago, Garth has seen a lot of growth.
“Both surgeries have helped me learn to appreciate my body and my physical abilities more. I’m a very caring person and I love taking care of people, so this has helped me shift gears and start taking a little better care of myself too – or allowing others to take over.”
“I wanted my surgeries to look easy, especially to my husband. I didn't want him to look old or for him to see me struggling, but I couldn't hide it from him because I was already hiding it from the world,” she said of Abrams, whom she married in 2015.
“I have been so grateful for the generosity of his spirit throughout this ordeal. It has also helped me realize that my physical condition has nothing to do with my mind. And no matter my physical condition, I still have a young spirit.”
Jennie Garth urges others not to be afraid of growing old. (Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)
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“If I could give one piece of advice to someone who is approaching or past 50 and may be in a similar health situation, I would want them to know that life starts to change at this age, and in the most beautiful ways. There are scary and disappointing changes, like when you start to see and feel aging, but don’t be afraid of it.”