Pamela Anderson explains decision to leave Hollywood for Canada: I needed to ‘remember who I was’

Pamela Anderson is sharing more insight into why she left Hollywood for her home country of Canada.

The actress told Women’s Wear Daily this week that her decision came about as a way for her “to really kind of look at [her] life and remember who [she] was.”

“Not what other people were telling me I was — and I didn’t want anything that had happened to me define me,” she further explained.

“I wanted what I do to define me… all these realizations came to me in the rose garden.”

Pamela Anderson told Women’s Wear Daily Tuesday that she left Hollywood for Canada to remember who she was. instagram/pamelaanderson “I didn’t want anything that had happened to me define me,” she told the publication. “I wanted what I do to define me.” instagram/pamelaanderson

The Baywatch” star, 57, left Tinseltown for Vancouver Island, British Columbia, a few years ago during a period of self-reflection.

In an interview with Better Homes & Gardens in August, Anderson recalled that she “kind of gave up at some point” and felt she “needed a change” ahead of her move.

“I don’t know what happened over the last few decades, but I feel now so far removed from the image of who I was,” she explained to the publication.

The former Playboy model moved to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, a few years ago during a period of self-reflection. instagram/pamelaanderson She previously told Better Homes & Gardens that she “gave up” at some point in her life and “needed a change” ahead of her move. pamelaanderson/Instagram

The “Barb Wire” star added that she also felt “very sad and lonely,” as well as “misunderstood.”

“I felt like I had really screwed up, that my whole life was a bundle of mistakes,” she said.

Anderson did not share at the time what mistakes she thought she made, but she described what she believed people thought of her.

Anderson also said she now feels “so far removed” from her previous image. Roadside Attractions via Getty Images “It’s such a relief that I get to be myself and enjoy this time,” she said. Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

“People have this pneumatic kind of image of me from Playboy to ‘Baywatch,’ to my rock ’n’ roll type of husbands, to everything else,” the former Playmate said.

“But I also played into the image that was created around me. I’m glad I did all that, but I’m really glad I’m where I am now.”

Anderson recognized that she had “made it through all of it,” concluding, “Now it’s such a relief that I get to be myself and enjoy this time.”

Anderson was a sex symbol of the ’90s after being cast in “Baywatch” and posing for Playboy several times. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Giorgio Armani She was infamously married to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee for a handful of years. Their rocky marriage ended after their sex tape was leaked. Getty Images

Anderson was a notorious ’90s sex symbol after skyrocketing to fame from “Baywatch” and becoming a staple in Playboy magazine.

She was infamously involved in a leaked sex tape in 1996 with her then-husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, which she previously mentioned weighed on her immensely.

The pair share two adult sons: Brandon Thomas Lee, 28, and Dylan Jagger Lee, 26.

Anderson went on to try out marriage several more times, but she is currently single. She did not have any more children.

Anderson is currently single after walking down the aisle several times. thedrewbarrymoreshow/TikTok In September, she said she has never felt more comfortable in her own skin. thedrewbarrymoreshow/TikTok

In her 2023 Netflix documentary “Pamela, A Love Story,” the star confirmed she would rather “be alone” than not be with Lee.

“I thought I could re-create a family or fall in love with somebody else, it’s just not me,” she explained.

Despite all the ups and downs of her life, Anderson told Glamour in September she has never felt better, sharing, “I’m finding I feel more comfortable in my skin now than I probably have in the last 30 years.”