Jennie Garth says it took decades to understand the power of the "I choose me" line her Beverly Hills, 90210 character memorably delivered to Dylan McKay and Brandon Walsh back in 1995. Now 54, the former teen star tells People that after a high-profile divorce, miscarriages, and a struggle with anxiety, alcohol, and pills, she's finally learned to put herself first—and has built a new memoir and podcast around that idea.
Garth details how instant fame on 90210 left her isolated, hypercritical of her body, and feeling like an imposter. "It was like being in The Beatles," she says. "There was no preparation for it. It was scary and unknown for all of us, and it was like sink or swim, just survive and figure it out as you go. It was major on-the-job training."
Page Six reports her 2012 split from her husband of 12 years, actor Peter Facinelli, led to a crisis that saw her needing to get her stomach pumped after she drank and consumed too many pills one night; she ended up in rehab at Canyon Ranch. She says a conscious decision to forgive Facinelli eventually helped her move forward, and the two now co-parent amicably. Garth, who reconciled with current husband Dave Abrams after a near-divorce and fertility struggles, says letting go of people-pleasing has been key: "Once you really get to the core of what you want for your life, that's when everything seems to get easier." Her memoir, I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose, and Embracing Reinvention, is out April 14.
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