Sharon Stone Opens Up About 'a Trauma You Just Cannot Bear'

David Aguilera/FilmMagic

When Sharon Stone suggested that the 2008 Sichuan earthquake — which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands — was “karma” for China’s mistreatment of Tibet it drew understandable criticism from the world at large. The 51-year-old actress and mom-of-three acknowledges as much in a new interview, but says that her reaction was based at least in part on her own private maternal suffering.

“I had two pregnancies that I lost in the late fifth month,” she reveals to Prestige magazine, “And this is so awful because I had to go have surgery when my children died.”

Calling the experience “a trauma that you just cannot bear,” Sharon says that her grief was only magnified by the 8.0 magnitude earthquake.

“I was in some kind of crazyville. The horrific loss of those people’s children caused me tremendous grief. I was relating to this earthquake like some kind of crazy mother.”

So “grief-stricken” was Sharon privately, her public actions were the manifestation of all she had lost. “I was really relating to their grief,” she explains before adding,

“I had lost children myself. All of that was really heavy upon me. I was really speaking as a heartbroken mother.”

Sharon is mom to sons Roan Joseph, 9, Laird Vonne, 4, and Quinn Kelly, 3.

Source: Prestige via Ireland Online

– Missy

Comments

Man, I cant imagine losing one baby, much less two. My heart and condolences go out to her.

- Katie on October 9th, 2009

How awful that she would lose 2 pregnancies, but if she was going through that in 2008… then she would have been 50 years old.
Why do women in their late 40′s think that they can bear children? It’s extremely rare for healthy babies to be born to women over the age of 45… Things like what happen to Sharon Stone are much more common. Very sad, but much more common.

- Mrs. R. on October 9th, 2009

Maybe I’m misreading, but I didn’t take it to mean her pregnancy losses happened in 2008 – just that she could relate to the loss of children. So sad either way.

- Jessie on October 9th, 2009

Mrs R -I don’t think she’s saying that she was pregnant in 2008, but that the death of the children in the earthquake reminded her of her own tragedy.

- Sanja on October 9th, 2009

Mrs. R, It is possible that Ms Stone lost those children at an earlier time and the situation in 2008 brought it all back. You never get over the death of a child. If you had trouble getting/staying pregnant, that to can be difficult.
As for older mothers, they tend to be in a better financial position than a younger woman would be. Each women needs to make her decision based on her life, not others opinion.

- amy on October 9th, 2009

I feel bad for her losing her babies, that is awful.

But I don’t see any relation to her comments about that earthquake, sorry Sharon.

- Anne on October 9th, 2009

I agree with Anne. I am very sorry for Sharon’s pain, but I see it as neither an excuse nor explanation for her comments. If anything she brought more pain to the mothers in China who lost their children, not understanding or sympathy.

- Nicka on October 9th, 2009

I agree with Anne. I’m truly sorry for her loss, but there’s really no connection to the earthquake comment. Sounds merely like a “celeb excuse” to me: you say something hurtful or off-color and then justify it by saying you were suffering something personal at the time you let the words fly out of your mouth. Just admit you made a poor choice of words and move on….

- Grrl on October 9th, 2009

I can’t begin to imagine the pain that must come with losing a child. I also can’t imagine how hard it must be to live in the public eye. But she does live in the public eye and made a horrific statement. Those kind of words can be explained, but can’t be taken back. I am sorry, but in this case, I don’t understand her explanation. How does her loss give her the right to say such nasty things?

- Tee on October 9th, 2009

I agree with Anne as well. I think it’s terrible that Sharon went through such loss, and she has my deepest sympathies for that, but it seems like she’s now using her babies as an excuse for something that happened at a completely different time in a completely unrelated circumstance. Maybe I’m wrong, but if I’m right, it’s a deplorable thing to do. I’m sorry, but I really don’t buy this either.

- Alex on October 9th, 2009

yeah I’m confused by the comment too. I never really was a fan. Sad she lost 2 children…maybe that’s what inspired her to adopt the boys.

- JMO on October 9th, 2009

Ok, let’s get this straight. Ms. Stone said almost this exactly :

“I’ve been concerned about how should we deal with the Olympics, because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine,” she said.
“And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and I thought, is that karma – when you’re not nice that the bad things happen to you?”

I can see her concern about Olympics and her friend Dalai Lama, but definitely no concern for the kids. In fact, she said people dying was “Karma”.

It’s very unfortunate what she went through earlier in her life and no mother should ever go through it, but using THAT is not helping her PR, IMHO.

- Jade on October 9th, 2009

Sharon’s career is in the toilet so she’s trying to milk a tragedy (real or not) to make up for being a nutball about the Chinese earthquake. Celebrities do this type of thing all the time to get attention. They suddenly remember some childhood trauma or anything else that makes them look sympathetic to the public that’s turned on them. She’s also gotten bad press because of her parenting skills so a story like this one is supposed to make us love and forgive her. Having read many of the comments, people have bought the bull too.

- Satina on October 9th, 2009

I’m confused. She was upset about her dead babies so when she saw these mothers who’d lost their children, she reacted by saying that it was karma that killed those children because of how the Chinese govt treats Tibet? If karma killed the Chinese kids, does she think karma had anything to do with her dead babies?

Or maybe she’s just saying that since she had something bad happen to her then she gets free reign to treats others like crap. Like if my neighbor’s child dies, I can be mean to them and then blame my miscarriages for my cruelty.

Personally I think Sharon’s nuts and doesn’t even get that she’s nuts. Most crazy people don’t know they’re crazy so it makes sense that she doesn’t either.

- Lolabean on October 9th, 2009

Ah dear. Too little, too late, too ridiculous.

- ang on October 9th, 2009

I am not a fan of her either, but in a way I think I can understand what she means or is trying to say.. true or not. I think she blamed her own situation to a karma and projected this in other who were suffering similar fates – of losing children. I mean if she believes what happend to her was indeed a bad karma for her actions or whatever reason is easy to acept that she will justify others situation the same way..

Not to say I believe in Karma, but she probably does.

- lina on October 9th, 2009

I never knew she was pregnant, how sad to have still born children. I had a miscarriage and it still hurts to think about.I can not imagine having to have a still born at 5 months pregnant.
I also am confused by the correlation between the two though.

- Bren on October 9th, 2009

I know how she feels. My first pregnancy (a girl) ended in stillbirth. I buried Kourtnei Michelle on xmas eve 2002. I still haven’t gotten over it, even after two healthy boys and two little girls on the way. However, I would NEVER say anything like what Sharon did to justify someone else’s pain or make it seem like my pain was more important.

- Kinsey on October 9th, 2009

I don’t see the connection either. It makes no sense.

- Chris on October 9th, 2009

I totally agree Satina! They open their mouths without thinking, like all of us have done, but everything they say is splashed around the media and then when the uproar comes, I am sure their agents help them create an excuse to justify it. Just like the whole Kanye West/Taylor Swift tabocle (sp?). He is blaming that from not healing from his mom’s death. Seriously?!?! Just say….Oops. I shouldn’t have said/done that. My bad. Sorry and move on. Although I feel horrible for her having to deal with the loss of her babies, and wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, I don’t buy the excuse for a second.

- Becky on October 9th, 2009

Oh wow Kinsey! I am so sorry to hear about that! I couldn’t imagine. My mom lost a baby before me when she was 7 months pregnant, and back then, 30 years ago, they made you carry the baby for a week just to be positive before they deliver the baby. That was the hardest part for her because people would always ask her when she is due during that week and she would just sob. She said that was the hardest thing she has ever gone through and her whole pregnany with me, she was on pins and needles but she said once I was born, she was able to heal more than she had since then. BUT Congrats on your boys and babies on the way! That is very exciting!! And Kourtnei (LOVE that spelling) will always be your angel!

- Becky on October 9th, 2009

I don’t get the correlation AT ALL. Sounds like bad back pedaling to me.

- kendrajoi on October 9th, 2009

This does not make any sense. Maybe she is just trying to get her name in the press. Why even dredge up all this stuff from the past now? I can see how she could relate to the grief of other mothers but how she expressed that did not convey that message at at all.

- Julie on October 9th, 2009

Amy, I do agree with your statement to a degree. However, biological clocks tick for a reason. Just because, through modern technology, we “can” have babies post 40, it doesn’t mean it is ideal. Finances are a very small part of parenting.

- Sadie on October 10th, 2009

I’ve lost 2 children as well, one at 32 months, the other I was 5 months pregnant so I know how hard it is, I also know people do tend to react differenly. I seem to be coping but sometimes I think your brain doesn’t work the same as other peoples after a trauma like this, most likely she has PTSD still though that’s no excuse to be making comments like that, tramatic events in one’s life do not give us an excuse to act or say whatever we want.

- stevie on October 10th, 2009

There are some pretty harsh comments here. Philo said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

It sounds like Sharon Stone is asking for forgiveness here, asking for us, the public, to understand that she was in pain when she said what she said. She acknowledged it was “crazy.”

Are we the kind of people who are going to hold on to something someone says, refusing to let it go no matter what? We’re not protecting China by beating up on Sharon Stone.

- computerag on October 10th, 2009

computerag , I agree with you in part, but I don’t think that Ms Stone is taking personal responability for her vile statements. It would have been so much better for her to simply say she was sorry, rather than trying to justify her remarks.

- Louise on October 10th, 2009

I don’t get it, you guys are bashing her for the comments she made, well what about your comments?
Ive lost two children, the pain of loosing your children is unbearable and it never goes away. For most of you here, its only your worst nightmare… can you imagine what its like LIVING that nightmare AND having others judge your grief? I’m not saying what she said/did was right or wrong, but don’t criticize someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. All sides are hurting here, Sharon and the mothers in China. An ounce of compassion goes a long way.

- Lisa on October 10th, 2009

I’m sorry, but I don’t see the connection she’s trying to make? Why would her experience of losing children cause her to make cruel comments about others losing children?

- Summer on October 10th, 2009

I wonder if she considered how the mothers who lost children felt when some celebrity tried to tell them it was their own fault their children had died.

I feel for her pain, but there was no reason at all to inflict any on others. And while maybe she considers them connected because they lost children, the “karma” comment doesn’t make sense in any context. Unless she considers her own miscarriages karma for something in her life, but even if that’s true, it was still completely inappropriate.

- Ryo on October 10th, 2009

I have buried two infant daughters (identical twins), and understand that when you are in a place of grief you say and do things you wouldn’t otherwise say or do. You try to make sense of things- like maybe she was trying to make sense of why she lost her babies (as if she was trying to make sense of the world…and perhaps why she lost her children).

But no matter what her motivation, what she said was in extremely poor taste. Just because you are suffering does not give you license to say hateful and rude things. And if you do say something hateful and rude then it’s important to retract that statement immediately (not months after the fact) and apologize profusely, and not bring your own pain in to the equation to make people feel sorry for you.

I guess I have walked in similar shoes with the loss of my girls, and so I understand the grief, but I don’t understand why she’s saying this now. It seems too little too late.

- Eri on October 10th, 2009

Sounds like another celeb back-peddling and trying to get her name back in the press.
So, is it “Karma” that Sharon lost custody of her eldest son to her Ex b/c she wanted to put Botox in his smelly feet instead of using a powder???
I agree with other’s she should just apologize or say I used a poor choice of words!!

- April22 on October 10th, 2009

April22- She didn’t lose custody of her oldest son. Roan has actually lived mostly with his father for most of his life. What happened was that Sharon wanted to get shared custody (or more of it. I’m unsure whether she had only visitation rights before, or if she did have some shared custody)…but the judge ruled in favor of her ex because s/he felt that Roan’s father can provide him with a more stable enviornment school-wise.

The botox thing was also never confirmed, and if it is true, I seriously doubt it’s the only reason she wasn’t able to get shared (or more shared) custody.

As for Sharon’s comment about China…I definently don’t think she should have said what she did. However, I DO understand where she was coming from. What China did to Tibet was awful. I honestly don’t know how people can treat other people that way! Obviously that didn’t give Sharon the right to say what she did…but I can understand why she thought that, and I AM glad she spoke up about the way China treated Tibet (although yes, she definently should have done it in a much more tactful manner!).

- CelebBabyLover on October 11th, 2009

I had a baby born sleeping at 5 months. I don’t know what she means by ‘surgery’, but I had to give birth to my son, with no epidural to numb the pain and it was horrific. However, I would never come out with those things that she did, especially not if I was in the public eye.

Sorry, but it just reminds me a bit of Jordan (Katie Price); every time she gets bad press, she comes out with another ‘personal tragedy’. The difference being that Jordan gets paid to sell her ‘tragedies’ and presumably Sharon doesn’t.

Just own up and apologise, without a stupid justification, or stand by what you said, and stick to it! Personally, I find the ‘justifications’ worse than the original statements/behaviour, admittedly probably in part because of what I went through.

- Ruthella on October 11th, 2009

Ruthella-I’ve been told by people who lost babies around when I lost my daughter that they had surgery and were shocked that I delivered my daughter after 12 hours of labor even though surgery was an option, I think it’s called a DNC, we also have pictures and mementos, had her baptism in the hospital. Some people say they can’t believe going through that and they’d rather just not think about it, personally I’m glad we had what we had, everyone does what they think is best for them I guess. Just a side note, I told someone I had a baby born sleeping before and they said ” what a lazy baby, that must have been a hard delivery for you having to do all the work!” can you believe that? I wish I lived in a world where I didn’t know what that meant.

- stevie on October 11th, 2009

I have lost two babies. One was born alive, had to have a c-section, at 42 weeks, December 27, 08, and was a very hard pregnancy. Put on bedrest for several months for placenta previa and preterm labor. My placenta finally just separated though then I had to be rushed into a c-section. I am extremely upset still. Everyday gets a little better, but it still is so very hard. And also the way I got pregnant was just so much more stressful.

The second was an ectopic at the beginning of this year (May I believe). I was about 9 weeks along. I had to have the surgery to get the child out.

I may never have children again. I have PCOS and it is hard to get pregnant with that. But I have hope that I will have my son and daughter soon.

She has three children that are so young. I wish that I had my daughter back. I got so attached to her. Yes I was pregnant once after that, but lost it. But I was still so numb from Abby’s death. People think that you can’t get attached to a child in your womb, but you can. It is the hardest thing to lost a child in my opinion. I was 18 when I lost her, I’m now 19. I am so sad as I am writing this. Yes I wish that I didn’t have to lose her, but I did and I have to live and not get past it, but have to learn from the situation.

I feel that it is my fault, but I know it isn’t. Holidays are the worst and I bet that her birthday will be even harder.

- Jessi on October 11th, 2009

Wow! Sorry to the ladies that have lost their children, I just can’t even imagine the pain. Thank you for sharing. Love to you all! =)

- gargoylegurl on October 12th, 2009