In a top ten list of a woman – or man's – favourite RomComs, Cameron Diaz's name will undoubtedly show up.
With roles in the likes of The Holiday, There's Something About Mary, The Other Woman, What Happens In Vegas and Charlie's Angels, the actress' megawatt smile, self-deprecating and witty demeanour has helped her cement her Hollywood status and rubbish misogynistic views that a woman can't be both good looking and funny.
However, the Californian actress has been somewhat M.I.A in recent years, having last starred in the 2014 musical Annie with Rose Byrne, Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis.
The reason? Well... life, tbh.
During a panel discussion at the Goop Wellness Summit – moderated by Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow – on Saturday, Diaz sat down with fashion designer Tory Burch, model Miranda Kerr and Diaz's sister-in-law and fashion designer Nicole Richie to discuss fame, family and finding happiness.
Revealing the reason as to why she has taken a break from acting in recent years, the 44-year-old admitted that two decades of non-stop traveling from film to film made her suddenly realise: '"I can't really say who I am to myself". Which is a hard thing to face up to. I felt the need to make myself whole.'
Towards the end of the discussion, Paltrow asked the panelists about their high-profile relationships, questioning Diaz on her decision to postpone marriage.
'Cameron, you got married later,' Gwyneth said. 'What was it that kept you from getting married until you were 40?'
'Forty-one,' Cameron politely corrected her friend. 'I think it's a matter of I just hadn't met my husband [Good Charlotte's guitarist and singer Benji Madden], you know? I had boyfriends before. And there's a really, really distinct difference between husbands and boyfriends.
'And I have a husband who is just my partner in life and in everything. Talk about two very different people! We are so different from one another, but we share the same values—we're totally two peas in a pod. We are both just weird enough for each other,' she added.
Opening up on why her relationship with the musician works so well, Diaz added: 'We women are objectified so much. Somehow my husband has just been able to kind of show me what it's like not to have that be a part of a relationship, and being an equal.'
With Nicole then describing their family as 'very close', admitting when she first married her husband Joel Madden (Benji's brother) seven years ago she was immediately adopted into the family's 'large support system', Diaz added it's her husband's support she values the most.
'I never experienced that before. I'd never been loved in that way. I look at him every day and he inspires me—he works so hard. I feel so lucky,' she added.
Sounds like Cameron is pretty happy right now.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
