Naomi Watts Announces New Book on Menopause: ‘Women Have Had to Suffer in Silence and Shame for Too Long’ (Exclusive)
Naomi Watts is coming out with a new book — and it’s anything but some vanity celebrity memoir.
This January, the 55-year-old Mulholland Drive actress hits the shelves everywhere on the cover of Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known about Menopause, which, as the title suggests, is one’s guide to menopause — and other aspects of aging.
There will be plenty of Watts’ personal story—like her own experience with menopause—plus conversations with friends and experts, a foreword by Dr. Mary Claire Haver, all toward tearing down taboos around the life stage.
“Women have had to suffer in silence and shame for too long about the changes they undergo during menopause, with little access to information, support or even much of an open conversation,” Watts tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Naomi Watts Recalls ‘Spiraling Out of Control’ After Experiencing Menopause Symptoms at 36: ‘Not Easy’
She adds, “I hope that this book can play a part in making women feel a little less alone, a little more supported, and dare I say, a little more excited about the natural changes that life has in store for us.”.
Dare I Say It is the resource Watts — already a leading voice in menopause awareness — wishes she had when, at age 36, she found herself blindsided by symptoms of menopause, which typically begin between ages 45 and 55, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“Feeling confused, alone and unsupported about this stage of her life, Watts was determined to do better for herself and for other women and began boldly using her platform to normalise conversations about this natural process,” the forthcoming book’s press release reads.
video about NAOMI WATTS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afwm3fjBHHk
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“I want this book to read like you’re sitting down over coffee and having an intimate chat with your girlfriend,” Watts said, in a statement. “I hope it will be of help for anyone trying to get a hold on this phase of life and make it a time of liberation rather than purely a time of trial.”
“Menopause is a part of a woman’s midlife, but midlife is about far more than menopause,” she added.
Watts also shares with PEOPLE that she is “so grateful to everyone who spoke to me for sharing their stories.”
In a message to her future readers, she says, “I simply can’t wait for you to hear about the high and low points and everything in between about this life stage, and get some real, practical advice and comfort as to how to take on these changes head-on.”.
WHO OS NAOMI WATTS https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Watts_filmography
Dare I Say It feels like a natural next step for Watts, who founded Stripes Beauty in 2022. Her brand deals with menopausal wellness, and she told PEOPLE at the top of the year, “I know I had shame and fear and doubt. Chances are that a lot of other people are going through the same thing.”.
“I had loads of anxiety in the lead up to creating this business, and then I just felt like, well, every woman is going to get to this point. Why are we not getting better care?” she said at the time. “There’s just a lack of education and research.”
Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known about Menopause will be published by Crown on Jan. 21, 2025 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.