At Home With An Angel
Woman's-health advocate Cheryl Ladd parks her wings for an exclusive interview with GH.
Written by Chris Mann
Photography by Cory Sorensen
Turning 57 this month, Cheryl Ladd has earned her wings as a health advocate for women. In our exclusive interview, she talks about growing older and wiser, navigating menopause, and what she plans to do even when she’s in her 80s.
“Once upon a time there were three little girls who went to the police academy … ” Seldom has such a silly string of words provoked so vivid a series of iconic images in the American pop-culture consciousness. But “Charlie’s Angels”—TV’s most famous feather-haired, bikini-clad, gun-toting trio—defied critics and broke new ground by successfully showing three strong, beautiful women taking on the bad guys in prime time. The drama also made superstars out of its fresh-faced, 30ish actresses, and when its biggest name, Farrah Fawcett-Majors, abruptly departed in 1977 after one season, she left big wings to fill. Enter 25-year-old Cheryl Ladd, mother of then-2-year-old daughter (and future actress) Jordan. As plucky Kris Munroe, Ladd quickly became a phenom in her own right, holding her own even when sharing the screen during Fawcett’s sporadic guest appearances during three of the show’s remaining four seasons.
As “Angels” ended in 1981, Ladd married film producer/writer Brian Russell and went on to star in a slew of hit made-for-TV movies, miniseries and, most recently, a five-year run on the NBC drama “Las Vegas” and a lead role in the upcoming indie feature “Baggage.” Since 2004, Ladd has also been the reliable face of hot-flash survival as the spokesperson for Wyeth’s KnowMenopause.com awareness campaign. Soon the women’s health advocate, longtime avid golfer and new grandma, who turns 57 this month, will also be seen helping soothe heartburn in ads for Prilosec OTC. Whether teaching women to karate chop villains in their youth or steer a path to great health in their middle years and beyond, Ladd continues to earn her wings as a champion for women taking control of their lives.
“I have to be the captain of my health. And that is my biggest message for women: Take the reigns of your own health.”
Great Health: More than 30 years after you first taught young women how to stand up and fight for themselves as an Angel, you’re emboldening mature ladies by promoting women’s health awareness. Why is that so important to you?
Cheryl Ladd: Empowering women and helping them is absolutely my goal. Twenty years ago there was no such thing as “women’s health.” Now we’re dealing with all kinds of things, from breast cancer to osteoporosis, menopause, heart disease and high blood pressure. We’re focusing on these issues and how they impact women and the kinds of things women are going through, in a way that we never really discussed before publicly.
GH: Public figures like you are making it OK to discuss sensitive women’s health issues.
CL: There are about 60 million women in menopause in this country. That’s a lot of women. Maybe that’s what’s causing global warming—all of those hot flashes. (Laughs.)
GH: Did you ever imagine during “Charlie’s Angels,” with your sexy bikini scenes, that you’d one day be a voice for menopause education?
GH: Your KnowMenopause.com campaign has encouraged women to “talk to their doctor.” Why is educating women about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other menopause solutions so critical?
CL: There is no “One Size Fits All.” Each person has to be dealt with as an individual. Someone might be a perfect candidate for hormone replacement, and really healthy with their symptoms. Some women might not be an HRT candidate and should not even go near it. It’s like when we were girls getting our periods—some of us had very difficult symptoms such as cramps and PMS, and for others, periods would just come and go. Every woman is different. You should really deal with your specific case with your doctor. That’s why I think it’s important to have a doctor that you have a long-standing relationship with, who really knows your history and knows you. Someone who, when you come to them with your list of questions and your symptoms, really understands who they’re talking to. It’s very important. There are a lot of wonderful women doctors who are going through menopause themselves, and that really helps. You don’t have to explain so much; they already get it.
CL: I certainly didn’t think about that back then!
GH: Your KnowMenopause.com campaign has encouraged women to “talk to their doctor.” Why is educating women about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other menopause solutions so critical?
CL: There is no “One Size Fits All.” Each person has to be dealt with as an individual. Someone might be a perfect candidate for hormone replacement, and really healthy with their symptoms. Some women might not be an HRT candidate and should not even go near it. It’s like when we were girls getting our periods—some of us had very difficult symptoms such as cramps and PMS, and for others, periods would just come and go. Every woman is different. You should really deal with your specific case with your doctor. That’s why I think it’s important to have a doctor that you have a long-standing relationship with, who really knows your history and knows you. Someone who, when you come to them with your list of questions and your symptoms, really understands who they’re talking to. It’s very important. There are a lot of wonderful women doctors who are going through menopause themselves, and that really helps. You don’t have to explain so much; they already get it.
GH: Many of your fans now are women who watched you as girls.
CL: Yes, and they grew up with me. Young women who were anywhere from 7 years old through high school and college age when we were doing “Charlie’s Angels”—that group of women was really affected by the show, because it was one of the first where women weren’t school teachers or secretaries or nurses. It really changed the whole dynamic—it made young women feel more powerful. And all those girls pretended to be Angels—they all identified with at least one of us. But when you look back at it, it was so incredibly tame, other than the fact that we wore very contemporary clothes and bathing suits. None of us Angels ever slept with anybody; there were no hot and heavy romances. We were flirty and fun, but not overtly sexual. We were like three grown-up girl scouts.
GH: Why do you think that educating women about hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) and other menopause solutions is so important?
CL: There is no “One Size Fits All.” Each person has to be dealt with as an individual. Someone might be a perfect candidate for hormone replacement, and really healthy with their symptoms. Some women might not be an HRT candidate and should not even go near it. It’s like when we were girls getting our periods—some of us had very difficult symptoms such as cramps and PMS, and for others, periods would just come and go. Every woman is different. You should really deal with your specific case with your doctor. That’s why I think it’s important to have a doctor that you have a long-standing relationship with, who knows your history—someone who really understands who they’re talking to. There are a lot of wonderful women doctors who are going through menopause themselves. You don’t have to explain so much; they get it.
GH: When you first discovered your premenopausal symptoms, what prompted you to go to your doctor?
CL: I didn’t even understand that there was a name for what I was going through, which was perimenopause. My menstrual cycle was all messed up. I had menstrual cycles three times a month—start, stop, start, stop—and then I’d have it all the time, and then I wouldn’t have it for two months. I didn’t know what the heck was happening. I wasn’t sleeping at all, and I was so sensitive emotionally. My poor husband couldn’t say “hello” right—I’d burst into tears. One day I sat on the edge of my bed, weeping my eyes out. I thought I was losing my mind. So my husband said, “Honey, this isn’t you. We need to go to the doctor.” I’m so grateful he did that. So we sat together at the doctor’s office. I described everything that was happening and said, “What’s the matter with me? Am I going crazy?” And my doctor said, “Nope, you’re just going through menopause.” Luckily, I was a candidate for HRT, and that really, really helped me.
GH: What has inspired you to so publicly support women’s cancer research?
CL: My grandmother died from ovarian cancer, and one of my very best friends in high school had breast cancer. And, of course, [“Angels” co-star] Jaclyn Smith is a breast cancer survivor. All of these issues are hitting pretty close to home for all of us. We know someone or are close to someone who’s dealing with one of these issues. We really need to focus on cures, and there’s a lot that’s positive to report.
GH: Jaclyn and Kate Jackson have battled breast cancer, and Farrah is fortunately surviving anal cancer. Do you keep in touch with them?
CL: Jaclyn and I have renewed our friendship. We’re looking for a project to do together. And I’ve written to Farrah. She’s in my prayers daily. She’s a fighter, I’ll tell you that.
GH: You often speak to and hear from women about menopause and other health issues. How has getting the information out changed the patient-doctor relationship?
CL: There’s much more dialogue about these medical studies—what the studies are and what they mean. Now, doctors are understanding more how to prescribe and for how long and the lowest dose possible—all of these things. And for some women, HRT just isn’t an option. So we’re starting to really know that it’s a very individualized thing.
GH: Even an active woman like you —you’re an avid golfer—experiences health changes and challenges during your life passages.
CL: Women in their 50s used to have only 10 to 20 more years to live. Women are now living into their 90s. And if you’re gonna’ live that long, don’t you want to be able to be healthy and do things? I don’t want to just be around; I want to play a round of golf when I’m 86 years old. And the only way I’ll be able to do those things is to really be on top of my health regimen, and really be on top of what’s gonna’ work for me, and what vitamins, exercise, diet and medications are good for me.
Every year I go for a complete physical. I really figure out where I am and what’s changed. And I was so shocked to find out from my blood test that so many things had changed in my body. And that’s just from being my age. I have the same lifestyle, but age makes a difference, as do certain profiles in your genetic makeup. Some people have the high blood pressure that runs in their family, even if they’re not overweight or underweight. And you don’t know that unless you go in and get your blood tested. My cholesterol was up, because I have genetic markers through the genetic makeup in my family. And if I hadn’t had my blood tested, I wouldn’t have known that and could’ve developed heart disease issues.
I have to be the captain of my health. And that is my biggest message for women: Take the reigns of your own health. Really understand who you are and how you feel and what’s going on. Get good information, have a great doctor, and constantly monitor your health.
GH: I understand that as a result of your menopause diagnosis, you discovered you had some bone loss in one of your hips.
CL: I was in the beginning stages. So I was able to hold on to the bone, and I make sure I take my calcium and do weight-bearing exercises to prevent bone less.
It doesn’t all have to be a pill, you know? You can do a lot with diet and exercise.
GH: What diet and exercise advice can you give to women who may be experiencing some of the health challenges you’ve faced?
CL: I think, generally speaking, that a balanced diet is really good. I believe in proteins and fruits and vegetables—a low-carb diet works for me. I don’t eat a lot of breads or potatoes or sugars. I try to eat whole grains. I love salads. And I love berries. I can eat them by the boxful, especially raspberries. They’re loaded with antioxidants, and are very satisfying if you need something sweet.
And get very, very regular exercise. Every morning, I go to a water aerobics class with a bunch of women. Or I walk and hike a half-mile up and down a hill with my friend. We take our dogs, and go up and down and up and down, several times a week. I may take Sundays off. But do regular exercise with your friends, and make it enjoyable. Otherwise, you won’t do it. It makes you feel good physically and mentally. It keeps all those little synapses going. Exercise really helps you sleep well. I try to get seven to eight hours’ sleep. There are times when I wake up in the night, and I try to do my little meditation exercises to calm my mind and make myself go back to sleep. I don’t always get to sleep seven or eight hours straight through as I get older. But if I exercise regularly, I have a better chance at it.
GH: You’ve gotta’ stay energized—you’re a grandma now.
CL: I am. My grandson, Nehemiah, is 15 months old. And my stepdaughter, Lindsay—who is my other daughter—is having another baby in September. We’re excited. I want to be able to run around and play with my grandson, to build forts and have fun—not just sit and see him do things. I want to play a very active role.
