Popular Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston has shared for the first time the emotional details of her past struggle with fertility issues and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
In a recent candid cover interview with Allure, the actress revealed that she went through IVF and has tried various other strategies in order to get pregnant in her late 30s and early 40s.
Opening up about her "challenging" time in the past, the actress said, "I was trying to get pregnant. It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road."
"The Morning Show" star has been subjected to pregnancy speculation by the media for several years. And now, while talking to Allure, the 'Friends' alumni said, "All the years and years and years of speculation... It was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it.
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"I was throwing everything at it. I would've given anything if someone had said to me, freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favor. You just don't think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed."
However, Aniston has "zero regrets". The 53-year-old star now feels "little relief" as she does not have to think about pregnancy anymore.
"I actually feel a little relief now because there is no more, can I? Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. I don't have to think about that anymore," she said.
Aniston, who was first married to Bard Pitt and later to Justin Theroux, also recounted that during her separation from the latter, there were rumours that the breakup happened because she wouldn't have kids.
Describing how the "selfish narrative" on tabloids added to her emotional difficulty of dealing with infertility, the actress said, "The narrative was that I was selfish. I just cared about my career. And God forbid a woman is successful and doesn't have a child.
"And the reason my husband left me, why we broke up and ended our marriage, was because I wouldn't give him a kid. It was absolute lies. I don't have anything to hide at this point."
However, even though the time was painful for Aniston, it was also transformative for her. The "hard s**t" she went through during her 30s and 40s has made her a fearless woman now.
"I would have never become who I was meant to be. That's why I have such gratitude for all those s****y things. Otherwise, I would've been stuck being this person that was so fearful, so nervous, so unsure of who they were," she reflected.
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When asked about if she would ever get married again, the "Murder Mystery" star said, "Never say never, but I don't have any interest. I'd love a relationship. Who knows? There are moments I want to just crawl up in a ball and say, I need support. It would be wonderful to come home and fall into somebody’s arms and say, that was a tough day."