Goldie Hawn has been one of the brightest stars in the Hollywood sky for decades. Practically born into the world of show business, still to this day, the beloved actress is working hard to entertain.
Hawn’s been through a lot, both on her own and alongside partner Kurt Russell. In her 20s, the 75-year old experienced an especially tough time as she battled with depression. Recently, she revealed another struggle she faced during her childhood.
This particular struggle was about Hawn’s love life – and concerns a person she says she’s still in love with to this day.
Goldie Hawn was born November 21, 1945, in Washington DC, and raised in Takoma Park, Maryland by her mother Laura Hawn and her father Rut.
Goldie Hawn recalls childhood struggle
By age three, Goldie started her journey towards a career in entertainment. Her mother had a dance school, where Hawn started taking ballet and tap dancing lessons. At the age of 10, she performed in the Ballett Russe de Monte Carlo production of The Nutcracker – 19 years later, she actually ran and instructed a ballet school herself.
All told, Goldie had a nice childhood. At the same time, however, she encountered struggles at a young age. In a video on her Instagram page, Goldie recently recalled the emotional childhood struggles she had involving her teacher.
October 5 was World Teacher’s Day, and as part of her organization MindUp, Hawn decided to pay tribute to a very important figure in her life.
Hawn’s second-grade teacher Mrs. Povitch was apparently very important to her since she had a hard time reading and was put into the “worst” reading group.
Mrs. Povitch, however, always made sure that Hawn felt as though she was great.
“She made me feel like it was the best reading group, so I never really felt bad,” Hawn said in the video.
Goldie revealed that she also struggled with the fact that she was in love with her teacher.
“I was in love with her”
“Well, I was in love with her,” Goldie Hawn joked. “In fact, I think I still am!”
In the caption of the wonderful video clip, Goldie wrote: “I fell in love with my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs Povitch. She made me feel good about myself even if I was [one of] the only kids in the ‘purple balls’ – the worst reading group!”
She added: “Our teachers can become angels in our lives. I honor each and everyone of them.”
After dropping out of college, Goldie started working as a professional dancer, but before long her career would take a turn towards the big screen.
In 1968, Hawn made her feature film debut as a dancer in the Disney film The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. Coincidentally, this is also where she met future partner Kurt Russell for the first time. Theirs was to become a love story like no other.
The year before, Hawn had gotten her big television break via the lead role in the sitcom Good Morning, World. She became famous overnight, and that opened up a path towards Hollywood stardom.
But at the same time as Goldie was becoming a big television – and future movie – star, she was also battling her inner-demons. This led her to a very dark place and she even fell into depression.
Being a celebrity is oftentimes seen as a very fun profession. You get to do all the cool films and stunts and make a great amount of money while doing them. You also get to attend no end of glamorous events and award ceremonies, as well as get recognized wherever you go.
Goldie Hawn – depression
But being a celebrity also entails putting a great deal of pressure on yourself. People assume that celebs are always the happy and ‘perfect’ person they see on screen. Realistically speaking, of course, we all have bad days.
The pressure of performing and always being available for fans and the press will eventually take its toll on anyone. For Goldie Hawn, this became a big issue.
Mental health problems have become an increasingly significant issue in Hollywood. These days, people are speaking out on it because of the stigma it previously had.
Recently, Goldie decided to openly discuss the subject as well. When her career took off at the age of 21, one would have assumed she was the happiest person in the world.
But in truth, she struggled with depression – and didn’t even go out in public.
Speaking on the talk show Good Morning Britain, Hawn revealed that her mental health struggles started in her early 20s.
“When I was young, I became depressed. I was 21 and I was rising to success,” she said.
“I know it sounds terrible, but it’s a very, very difficult thing, I didn’t necessarily want that.”
Couldn’t go out in public
Many dream about becoming a celebrity, but that wasn’t the case for Hawn. She had gotten her big breakthrough, but instead of wanting more, she just wanted to get away from everything and everyone.
“I was very depressed and I had a lot of these issues where I couldn’t even go outside in public,” Hawn recalled.
“I didn’t want to be a big deal, I wanted to go home, I wanted to get married, I wanted to be a dancing school teacher.”
She added: “I did have a plan and I didn’t have delusions of grandeur on any level, I was extremely realistic.”
“This is something that, for me, I worked through,” she added. “I went to a doctor, I went to a psychologist, I learned about quieting my mind and what happens to the brain.”
As Hawn’s career continued to develop and she became more and more famous, she also devoted more time towards helping others.
For years, Hawn has helped others try and understand the importance of good mental health and how one can improve it. She’s focused especially on children through her mental health organization MindUp.
“Don’t be embarrassed”
MindUp provides material for both teachers and families to help children understand how they really feel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawn says this has been very important.
“When this pandemic happened, it gobsmacked everyone,” Hawn said on Good Morning Britain. “We didn’t know how to handle our children, we were dealing with ourselves. It’s just a plethora of problems.”
Furthermore, Hawn urged children, teachers and families to get help if they see warning signs of impaired mental health in those around them.
“For every one of us, we may have a different reason why we may feel low, or anxious, or depressed,” she said. “All I want to say is that if you really aren’t happy, we do need to be able to tend to ourselves, to go to a doctor. Don’t be embarrassed.”
Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, and their beautiful family have been spending a lot of time together this past year.
But now things are slowly turning back to normal and Goldie can return to working on her projects.
Goldie Hawn’s health
At 75 and 70 respectively, Goldie and Kurt have to take care of themselves; they aren’t getting younger. Thus far, the couple have been very lucky not to encounter any serious health issues. In 2017, a source told Closer Weekly that Hawn is “super focused” on her diet, as well as her workout routine.
“She always says you’re as young as you feel, and she still feels like a 30-year-old. She’s healthy and vibrant and comfortable in her own skin,” the source said.
Another insider added: “[Goldie is] doubling down on working out. She’s never really just committing to one solid routine. Her big word is ‘diversity.’ Every day is different so she never gets bored of her workouts.”
Hawn spoke about her diet with People in 2016. She said she doesn’t eat a lot, adding that it’s all about not eating too much, or “overeating” as she describes it.
“I drink my green juice every day! I do a lot of juice, I don’t put a lot of food in my stomach and I don’t mix my foods too much. So if I want to have like protein I’ll just eat a bowl of lentils, I won’t mix it with a bunch of stuff,” Goldie said.
For his part, Kurt has been far more active in Hollywood over the last number of years. He starred in Quentin Tarantino’s film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood in 2019 and this year will appear in both Fast & Furious 9 and the television series What If…?
Kurt Russell to have surgery
In October, Kurt – who already has his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – was to be inducted into the Oklahoma City-based Hall of Great Western Performers.
Sadly, due to an “unforeseen medical issue”, Kurt can’t attend.
In a statement, the movie star said that he has to undergo surgery, and according to his doctor it’s a procedure that can’t wait. The Oklahoman have speculated the film star is going to have hip surgery.
“I had hoped it could wait, but my doctors said it needs to be this September. As much as I hate missing this year, I’m grateful to the museum for being willing to move our recognition to 2022 so I can be there in-person to accept this great honor,” Russell said in the statement.
We hope that Goldie and Kurt have a wonderful fall together. They are truly a wonderful couple!
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