Kathleen Turner rose to fame in the 1980s with her strength and attractiveness – many consider her one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood.
It is this fortitude that has helped her through the many goods and bad times the actress has experienced over the years.
Kathleen Turner had a rough childhood and was raised in a family with four children. She and her siblings grew up in London and Venezuela. Tragedy befell her at a young age when her father unexpectedly passed away while mowing the lawn of their Hampstead home.
A month after his death, Kathleen and her family were kicked out of the UK by the foreign service. Turner and her family settled in Springfield, Missouri, all still grieving their father and former home.
As an adult, Tuner finally found peace after moving to New York to pursue an acting career. She had some luck on the stage – but her biggest break came when she was given the role of the femme fatale in 1981’s “Body Heat.”
Three years after starring next to William Hurt, Turner was given a chance to co-star with Michael Douglas in the famous “Romancing the Stone.” Douglas was in a rocky separation from his wife Diandra at the time of filming, and he and Turner developed some feelings for each other.
“We were in the process of falling in love – fervent, longing looks and heavy flirtation. Then Diandra came down and reminded me he was still married,” Kathleen said.
She eventually married the property developer from the film, Jay Weiss, in 1984. The two had their only daughter together soon after. Rachel Ann Weiss was born on October 14, 1987.
Unfortunately, the couple’s relationship began to fracture as they started raising their daughter.
“I’d make the movie companies give me long weekends or provide extra tickets so my daughter and husband could come to me. But there was a sense in the marriage the effort was all on his side, which made me feel guilty. It was one of the reasons it ended. I started to feel very oppressed. I thought, ‘Hang on a minute, you’ve done very well out of being married to me also,’” Kathleen explained.
In 2005, Turner starred as Martha in the Broadway revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and it was then that their marital problems came to a head. Turner became incredibly busy while acting in eight shows a week, and it appeared that Weiss wanted no time with her when she was home.
The two divorced amicably during that time, and Turner earned a Tony award nod for her time as Martha.
The star had also earned an Oscar nomination back in 1987 for her role in “Peggy Sue Got Married.” Her film career was alive and well during the 80’s, and she starred in a variety of blockbusters–three of which were with Michael Douglas.
However, in the 90’s, Kathleen experienced a medical setback when her neck locked, not allowing her to turn her head. In addition, her hands swelled to the point where she stopped being able to use them.
“It was crippling,” Kathleen said. “You stop taking things for granted when you lose them, even temporarily. What I took for granted – my athleticism, my ability to throw myself around, and just be able to move however I wanted to. When I lost that, that was a real crisis of self: who am I if I cannot do this?”
The culprit of her misfortune wound up being rheumatoid arthritis, a condition characterized by the swelling of the lining in our joints. This condition causes chronic pain that can be difficult to manage.
“When it was first diagnosed, I was terrified because they said I’d be in a wheelchair,” Kathleen explained. “I thought, ‘If I can’t move, I can’t act.’ Acting isn’t just what I want to do. I was born to do it. It’s at every point of my living. The idea of not being able to do it was the most frightening part – that and the constant pain.”
Kathleen turned to pills and alcohol to manage her pain. While these helped her to work, the habit of drinking vodka led to her passing out during rehearsals for shows like 2002’s stage production of “The Graduate.”
The actress actually went to rehab after the show stopped running, only to find out that she was not an alcoholic. Instead, she was told she simply needed to better track when she was taking her medications and their side effects.
Today, the actress does yoga and pilates to help manage the pain and remain nimble.
While better managing her pain, the star really began to focus on her stage career. While she did still occasionally work in film and television, she returned largely to her roots as she got older, even starring in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on stage in her forties.
“Because I knew that the better roles as I got older would be in theatre, which is absolutely true, so that was a little foresight on my part of which I am justly proud,” Kathleen said.s
Focusing on theatre has also allowed the star the time to focus on her passions of hers, such as volunteering at Amnesty International and working for Planned Parenthood of America.
A staunch feminist for most of her life, Turner has turned her doubtless strength to uplifting other women throughout her life. Her ideologies are represented clearly in Gloria Feldt’s 2008 memoir of the star, Send Yourself Roses.
“We are the first generation of women who are financially independent. Women are going back to work,” Kathleen said. “They’re reinventing themselves. I thought I could support that, even increase that. So it has got a lot of philosophy in it and a lot of my beliefs.”
Bombshell: Meghan Markle Prepares for Explosive Royal Family Showdown!
When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left their senior royal roles in 2020 and moved to North America, many fans were not happy. Meghan has shared some tough experiences from her time in the royal family, but there have also been times when fans turned against her. Recently, she was even accused of trying to outshine Kate Middleton.
The conflict with the royal family has been ongoing for years. While Prince Harry has visited the UK a few times since leaving, Meghan hasn’t joined him often. Some say it’s for security reasons, but others think she might not be interested in fixing the relationship with the royals.
A royal expert says Harry misses his old friends and wants a permanent home in the UK. However, he is also very worried about losing Meghan. Some reports say he isn’t interested in reconciling with his family. But there is hope, as Meghan is reportedly open to having a meeting to talk things out.
Despite Harry and Meghan’s complaints about their treatment in the UK, they have aimed for a more private life since moving to the US. However, some argue they are still seeking attention through interviews, a book, a Netflix show, and podcasts. This doesn’t seem like stepping back from the spotlight as expected.
Their desire for more attention hasn’t gone unnoticed. The couple was even mocked on the popular comedy show South Park.
Harry and Meghan haven’t returned to the UK often. They did attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral together, but when King Charles was diagnosed with cancer and Harry went to see him, Meghan stayed in the US.
The feud between the Sussexes and the royal family has been ongoing for years, with no signs of resolution. However, Harry and Meghan did reach out to Kate Middleton after her surgery and cancer diagnosis, which they reportedly learned about through the news, not directly from family members.
Even though the relationship is tense, one royal expert suggests that Prince William and Kate Middleton are willing to try and mend things with Harry and Meghan.
Speaking with the Mirror, royal author Tom Quinn said that William and Kate were open to inviting Harry, Meghan, and their children to visit England. However, Meghan wasn’t interested and declined the offer.
“There is no way Meghan would bring the children to the UK,” Quinn told the Mirror in early April. “William and Kate suggested that Meghan and Harry bring the children and that the two couples and their families try to make up, but so far, it’s not going anywhere.”
In May, Prince Harry visited the UK again for a special Invictus Games service at St Paul’s Cathedral. He wanted Meghan to join him, and at first, she seemed interested. But soon after, Meghan changed her mind because of concerns for her children’s safety.
A source said that while Meghan had hoped to go to the UK with Harry in May, she didn’t want to bring Archie and Lilibet due to fears for their safety.
“It’s now at the point where Meghan doesn’t want to come to the UK with the children. She just doesn’t feel safe,” the source said. “The question now is whether the family should come with increased security or if Harry should go alone.”
Harry reportedly begged Meghan to reconsider, saying, “I don’t want to do this alone.”
“Harry doesn’t want to keep making solo trips to the UK,” the source continued. “He would prefer if the whole family made regular visits to see his family and rebuild relationships, but there is so much happening behind the scenes that it just isn’t possible right now.”
Harry and Meghan were planning to come to the UK, but when the exact time and date of their appearance were made public, Meghan started to rethink the idea.
The children’s safety isn’t Meghan’s only concern about returning to the UK. The source said that the Duchess doesn’t want to “be thrown back into an anxiety-filled visit to England where she feels like she’s not wanted.”
Time will tell if Meghan will join her husband for the UK trip. But one thing is for sure: A reunion with the royal family seems very far away.
The conflict with the royal family goes back many years. The tension between Meghan and Kate Middleton started just before Meghan’s wedding. In her interview with Oprah, Meghan revealed that Kate made her cry over a dress.
Despite the years that have passed, Meghan has said she doesn’t want to mend the relationship with the royals, believing it’s gone too far.
However, new reports suggest that Meghan has changed her mind and is now “ready to sit down” with the royal family to make peace. But why? One royal commentator said that having a good relationship with her in-laws would “help her sell her jam.”
Speaking to GB News, royal expert Angela Levin said the Duchess is “still genuinely hurt” by how the royal family treated her. However, Meghan is ready to reunite with them to discuss everything.
“She’s still genuinely hurt by how she was treated by the Royal Family – this is four years on,” Levin told GB News. “And she now wants to sit down and talk through things.”
Levin also claimed that Meghan wants the royal family to “make apologies” to her and Prince Harry.
**Here’s a simpler version of the text:**
Angela Levin explained that Meghan wants the Royal Family, including King Charles, to apologize, but they aren’t going to do that. Levin believes that Meghan is the one who should apologize, but she doesn’t want to.
Levin also said that Meghan is trying to get Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to help her sell her jams. Meghan hopes that King Charles might buy some of her products too.
“This information comes from a good source,” Levin said. “Meghan wants to use the excuse of selling her jams as a reason to visit the UK and make things nice, but it’s also a way for her to promote her products.”
Even though Meghan Markle reportedly “never wanted to set foot in Britain ever again,” this new plan might change her relationship with the royals.
The Duchess had reached out to Kate Middleton after Kate’s surgery and cancer diagnosis, which Harry and Meghan found out about from the news instead of directly from the family.
Meghan is focused on her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, and is selling jam. However, Levin’s idea that making amends with the royals could help her sell more jam might not be well-received by royal fans. Meghan was recently accused of trying to take advantage of Kate’s royal return for her own benefit.
On Saturday, June 15, just hours before Kate Middleton made her royal return during Trooping the Colour, Argentinian polo player Nacho Figuerasa, a close friend of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, revealed the Duchess’s brand’s new raspberry-flavored jam via an Instagram Story.
The announcement’s timing left many royal fans angry, and they took to social media.
A fourth person concluded, “Who buys jam anyway? It is so easy to make right at home with fresh fruit and a load of sugar!”
Although many were furious with Meghan Markle for this, a source close to the Duchess told the Daily Beast that she had nothing to do with it.
The source claimed, “While I am sure the gift packages came with notes requesting social media coverage, you can’t tell Nacho Figueras what to do. So I think it’s certain the timing of his post was his own idea.”
“The larger point here is that the American Riviera Orchard campaign has been phenomenally successful and cost Meghan nothing.”
The source added, “It is a textbook social media campaign. The only problem is that there still seems to be nothing actually for sale, so what is it all for? I guess we will find out.”
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