‘I was twelve when I was first admitted to rehab’
Jaid Barrymore, Drew Barrymore’s alcoholic mother, had only one wish: to turn her adorable daughter into a child star. And she would do quite a bit for that. In the latest Glamial you can read what bizarre forms this took.
Make-up, cigarettes and alcohol as sweeteners
When Drew managed to transform from a little girl to a child star (she appeared on ET when she was seven), her daughter Jaid’s fame went to her head. She carried the apple of her eye, her big trophy, with her everywhere. This also applies to wild parties, where Drew came into contact with drugs and alcohol. Drew: “She gave me makeup, cigarettes and alcohol to keep me calm. I was twelve when I was first admitted to rehab. I skipped school, stole my mother’s car. Occasionally I would get so angry that I had to dance to my mother’s tune that I would lose control of myself.”
No more contact
Drew (48) was thirteen when her mother committed her to a psychiatric institution. “I was there for eighteen months. She had created a monster and didn’t know what to do with it anymore.” When she was 15, Drew asked the court to remove her mother’s parental rights. The court agreed. Drew kicked the habit and went to live with director Steven Spielberg and his family.
Where are we standing right now?
It took a lot of therapy, but Drew has come to terms with her past. “Well, sort of,” she says delicately. “It’s not easy to grow spiritually while my mother is still walking this planet. I can only really process my youth when she is no longer here.”
Text: Sandra ten Brink | Image: NL Image
