Jennie Garth has revealed she's had surgery, but maybe not in the way you'd imagine.
“I've kept it a secret for a long time, but I don't feel like I want to keep it a secret anymore,” the actress told Self magazine of the two surgeries she's had over the past four years.
The 52-year-old 'Beverly Hills 90210' actress has had two hip replacement surgeries.
“This doesn’t just affect 80-year-olds.
'Beverly Hills 90210' star Jennie Garth says acting is no longer a 'priority': 'Life is too short'
Jennie Garth has spoken publicly about osteoarthritis in the past, but not about her hip surgery. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
“I'd suffered with hip pain for a long time, and whenever I lifted my leg I would hear a clicking noise, but as someone who rode horses as a child and danced as a teenager I assumed it was just wear and tear on my hip,” Garth says. “Over the years it got worse and worse. At one point the pain was so bad I couldn't even walk my dog. I thought maybe I had arthritis.”
Doctors soon determined she had osteoarthritis in her knees, thumbs and hips, which was a nightmare for Garth.
WATCH: Jennie Garth Opens Up About Osteoarthritis Diagnosis
“I was in my mid-40s at the time. I remember feeling old and confused when I was diagnosed, but I wanted to stay active and just got through it. … But by the time I was 48, I started to feel like I was struggling to keep up with normal activities with my family.”
Garth recalled being on a family ski trip and experiencing such excruciating pain that he was confined to the lodge.
“I felt like my quality of life was declining and I was really sad. I didn't want to be the kind of person who couldn't do the things I love with my family. And my husband [Dave Abrams] He is nine years younger than me and is in great health. I married a younger man and didn't want to get myself out of shape. This trip was an eye-opener. I knew that no matter what happens, I need to be mindful.”
Jennie Garth worried about looking “old” in front of her husband, Dave Abrams, who is nine years younger than her. (Jenny Garth Instagram)
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Soon Garth found a doctor who she remembers asking, “'What are you doing here? You're so young! We don't see many patients your age here.'”
During the appointment, Garth learned that his hip joint was not seated properly in the socket and that hip replacement surgery could potentially improve his condition.
“The doctor said I didn't need surgery right away, but I didn't want to take any time to think about it. I begged the doctor to let me have the surgery as soon as possible because I still have a long way to go and I didn't want to slow down. I wanted it done right away.”
Jennie Garth's first hip surgery took place during the pandemic. (Emily Asilan/Getty Images, courtesy of 90'sCon)
Unfortunately for Garth, elective surgery wasn't a top priority during the peak of the pandemic in 2020. She ended up seeing her doctor and remembers using a walker to walk out of the medical center that same day.
“Looking back, I didn't rest well after the surgery and didn't give my body enough time to recover,” Garth explained, adding that he traded his walker for a vacuum cleaner three days after the operation.
“I was back in action within two months,” Garth told the outlet.
“For a few years after my surgery, I felt like a bionic woman. There was nothing I couldn't do. I completely forgot I had had a hip replacement – only a four-inch scar reminded me. I got back to all the things I love – golfing, hiking and skiing. It felt like a miracle, but I had to remind myself, especially on the slopes, 'take it easy – it's a prosthetic hip.'”
Jennie Garth was in great shape for a few years after her first surgery. (Rick Kahn/WireImage/Getty Images)
“For a few years after the operation, I felt like I was a bionic woman. There was nothing I couldn't do. I forgot for a long time that I had had a hip replacement.”
The “I Choose Me” podcast host's symptoms finally worsened this year, when he began to hear a “clicking” noise in his opposite hip.
“The pain was worse than the first time and it put me in bed,” she said of the surgery in March 2024. “The whole operation was very disheartening and it still is. It hasn't been that long since I had my second hip and I really need to take care of it,” she explained.
“I wanted everyone to know that it's possible to be healthy after 50. I felt amazing and training made me feel so much stronger. I also found that moving my body made me feel better and prevented my joints from getting stiff. Not being able to exercise for so long after my second surgery really took a toll on my mental state.”
Garth said he was back at the gym a month later but was limping and still in pain.
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“I felt so down about myself and my recovery and wondered if this extra pain was because I was four years older than when I had my first hip replacement. I had to respect my body, listen to it and take things slowly.”
“I felt a responsibility to continue to inspire others, but at the same time, I also wanted to set an example for my three daughters, who are the same age I was when I was on 90210,” Garth told Self magazine..
“I had to respect my body, listen to it and take things slowly,” Jennie Garth said after her second surgery. (Brenton Ho/Variety via Getty Images)
“My personal growth was incredibly stunted during my time on the show. I spent my teenage years working so hard on set and growing up without any sense of who I was,” explained the actress, who played Kelly Taylor on the hit '90s series.
“I thought my self-worth depended on looking a certain way and being valued by others, and I was always focused on pleasing everyone and looking good. I put a lot of pressure on myself when I was younger, but I wish I'd been a little more lenient with myself.”
Garth added that losing some of her co-stars, such as Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty, at a young age has motivated her to “stay super active.”
Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty of “Beverly Hills 90210” have passed away in the past five years. (Michael Roberts/Sigma via Getty Images)
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“I felt so down about myself and my recovery and wondered if this extra pain was because I was four years older than when I had my first hip replacement. I had to respect my body, listen to it and take things slowly.”
Garth has grown so much since six months ago.
“Having these two surgeries has really helped me to value my body and my physical abilities a lot more. I'm a very caring person and I love taking care of other people, so these surgeries have really shifted my mindset and helped me to take care of myself a little better, or get other people to help me.”
“I wanted the surgery to look easy, especially to my husband. I didn't want to look old or like I was struggling, but I couldn't hide it from him because I had already hidden it from the whole world,” she said of Abrams, whom she married in 2015.
“I am so grateful for his generosity of heart throughout all this time. It has also helped me to gain the enlightenment that the condition of my body has nothing to do with my mind. And no matter what physical condition I am in, my spirit remains young.”
Jennie Garth urges people not to be afraid of aging. (Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)
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“If I could give any advice to anyone approaching or over 50 who is in a similar situation health-wise, it would be to know that at this age, life begins to change in the most beautiful ways. There are some scary and discouraging changes, like starting to see and feel the signs of aging, but there is no need to be afraid of them.”
