Jessica Alba‘s personal life has been back in the spotlight after she confirmed her split from her husband Cash Warren this month and declared she was ’embarking on a new chapter of growth.’
The actress and businesswoman has for the most part kept her private life out of the spotlight, choosing instead to focus her public persona on her movies and then her billion-dollar business The Honest Company.
But underneath the glossy social media facade, shared with 20.6million Instagram followers, is an unexpected tale worthy of its own Hollywood film.
The child star’s nomadic upbring encouraged her into acting aged just 11 as she noted that it was a way for her to fit into the world and ‘be somebody else’.
‘I grew up in survival mode,’ she told Glamour UK of her childhood, which saw her family relocate multiple times due to her dad’s Airforce career. ‘It was almost sort of what I was born into.’
‘My parents didn’t have a safety net, they were living paycheck to paycheck. And so the mentality of ‘tomorrow’s not guaranteed’… For me, I was like, ‘I got to do everything I can to keep my head above water.’
Jessica suffered a myriad of health issues as a child including a partially collapsed and ruptured lungs, asthma, pneumonia multiple times every year, hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Jessica Alba’s personal life has been back in the spotlight after she confirmed her split from Cash Warren this month and declared she was ’embarking on a new chapter of growth’
The child star’s nomadic upbring encouraged her into acting aged just 11 as she noted that it was a way for her to fit into the world and ‘be somebody else’
Regular hospitalisation meant she felt isolated from her peers but her parents gave her the tough love she needed to beat it.
‘It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and being a woman.’
She told Self magazine in 2015 that she struggled with her health and weight in her younger years but her parents gave her the tough love she needed to beat it.
‘I was on a swim team, and I was chubby and slow and dead last – a full two laps last. I was crying and couldn’t breathe.
‘My mom and dad were like, ”You started this, you’re going to finish it!” My parents made me stick to stuff, pick myself up.
And that attitude followed her throughout her acting career, as she notched up credits in multiple commercials and recurring roles on the likes of Nickelodeon series The Secret World of Alex Mack.
In 1996 she booked the television series Flipper, with filming taking her to Australia. The shoot turned out to be a harrowing experience for the young actress though when, aged 15, she was kidnapped.
According to reports, the up-and-coming star was shooting scenes for Flipper when she mysteriously disappeared without a trace.
Jessica Alba, seen here in the TV series Flipper, was kidnapped in 1996 at the age of 15 whilst filming the show in Australia
Her family and friends and the crew working on the TV show were left frantically searching for her for 14 hours.
Jessica was eventually found tied up and gagged in the trunk of a car miles away from the Flipper set.
The young actress reportedly received unsettling phone calls prior to being kidnapped, and it’s been claimed that some thought the two may be connected.
However, the authorities never found any concrete evidence that linked the phone calls to her kidnapping.
Investigators were also unable to identify any suspects or motives for the crime as there was a lack of forensic evidence or eyewitness accounts.
It has been reported that after months of searching for leads, the investigation stalled and the case was ultimately closed without resolution.
Whilst she booked lead roles such as Flipper, Jessica, whose father is Mexican-American and mother is of French and Danish descent, has reflected that she grew frustrated with the audition process, as casting directors ‘couldn’t really categorize me.’
Her frustration, and her increased isolation from her peers at school, led the teenage Jessica to turn to religion at one point, becoming a born again Christian, having been raised as a Catholic.
Jessica suffered a myriad of health issues as a child including a partially collapsed and ruptured lungs, asthma, pneumonia multiple times every year; seen with her brother
Whilst she booked lead roles Jessica, whose father is Mexican-American and mother is of French and Danish descent, has reflected that she grew frustrated with the audition process, as casting directors ‘couldn’t really categorize me’ ; pictured with her parents
But she backed away from religion when ‘older men would hit on me, and my youth pastor said it was because I was wearing provocative clothing, when I wasn’t.’
‘It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and being a woman.’
She was also bothered by the lack of strong female role models in the Bible and the denouncement of homosexuality. ‘I thought it was a nice guide,’ she says, ‘but it certainly wasn’t how I was going to live my life.’
Her acting career and the world of showbiz she experienced from a young age also made her question her religious teachings, with one significant experience causing her to abandon her Christianity.
Jessica recalled to the Daily Beast how she ‘fell in love when I was 16 and had this major crush on’ a ‘bisexual, ballerina drag queen.’
She was studying at the Atlantic Theater Company in Vermont at the time and used to party at a local gay club where she would ‘dance with him all night, four nights a week.’
‘I was so in love with him and thought, “There’s no way this guy’s going to hell,” because in my church, it was, “Anybody who’s gay is going to hell” and “Premarital sex is evil,” and I thought, “There’s no chance! This guy is amazing!” So that [religious teachings] went right out the window.’
Jessica’s acting career and the world of showbiz she experienced from a young age also made her question her religious teachings
Jessica’s big break in acting came three years later with her role in Dark Angel and the show also kick started her four year relationship with co-star Michael Weatherly, who was 12 years older than the 19-year-old; Michael pictured in 2023
Since having her first daughter Honor in 2008 Jessica has pivoted her career and has focused on business over acting (pictured with her children Honor and Haven and son Hayes and ex Cash)
Jessica’s big break in acting came three years later with her role in Dark Angel and the show also kick started her four year relationship with co-star Michael Weatherly, who was 12 years older than the 19-year-old.
On her 20th birthday Michael proposed but they split in 2003. Speaking two years after the break up, Jessica admitted: ‘Relationships can be tough… with Michael I didn’t have a voice yet, and he was so much older… I was so young, 18, when I started dating him.’
‘I was a virgin. I knew I wanted to be in love with the first person I slept with, because for almost everyone I knew, the first experience made them feel like s**t… I wanted to be careful that he was going to be in love with me, and wasn’t just going to leave me.’
Since having her first daughter Honor in 2008 Jessica has pivoted her career and has focused on business over acting.
It was her experience of sickness as a child that made the star want to be there for her own children.
By her own admisson, she was ‘at the top’ of her career when she gave birth to Honor in 2008, and she admits it changed her entire outlook on life.
‘I had this real moment of, I want to live, and thrive, and spend as much time with thi little person that I’m bringing into the world as possible and stay.
‘So, my health matters. I want this little person to be healthy. And it’s really freaking hard to be happy when you don’t have your health,’ she said.
And she did not worry about success.
The Sin City star shared: ‘My motivation was not like, ‘Am I ever going to get hired again?’ Frankly, I was at the top of my career.
Jessica has found herself back in the headlines this month after confirming her divorce from husband of 15 years Cash Warren, and she’s said it’s due to another life pivot
‘I couldn’t go back to what I was doing before and be authentic. I just couldn’t. I didn’t care about it the same way.’
In 2012, Jessica launched The Honest Company, a brand that specializes in eco-conscious products. The company was valued at $2.1 billion after going public in 2021.
Jessica has found herself back in the headlines this month after confirming her divorce from husband of 15 years Cash Warren, and she’s said it’s due to another life pivot.
‘I’ve been on a journey of self realization and transformation for years – both as an individual and in partnership with Cash,’ began her social media message.
‘I’m proud of how we’ve grown in our marriage over the last 20 years and it’s now time for us to embark on a new chapter of growth and evolution as individuals.
‘We are moving forward with love, kindness and respect for each other and will forever be family.’
