Can you imagine Sarah Jessica Parker being anything but the wealthy, stylish and successful
actress that we've known for years?
Well, what if we told you that this Cinderella looking princess did not always have a mega
castle-like mansion in the big apple?
That she was just a regular small-town girl with no glass slipper, let alone a pair of
Manolo Blahnik's and instead of two step-siblings, she had FOUR.
Though thrift store clothes have become fashionable over the years, Parker's family couldn't afford
to buy anything else.
They were suffering to a point where they needed state welfare just to survive.
So how did our modern-day Cinderella drastically change her life around?
We've got all the juicy details for you today, so subscribe to the Rumour Juice channel and
make sure you turn that little grey bell green, and we'll make sure it only updates you with
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It's hard to believe that the role Parker is famously known for is the one that is furthest
from her reality.
Though the character's love for New York rubbed off on the star, who cannot picture herself
living anywhere else in the world, she didn't have that choice growing up.
Parker was one the youngest of four children to a marriage that ended when she was just
three years old.
She grew up in a little home in Nelson, Ohio, raised by her mother, a school teacher who
tried, by all means, to help her family get by.
As though circumstances couldn't get any worse, the four mouths that her mother had to worry
about feeding doubled up to EIGHT.
After her parents went their separate ways, Sarah's mother married a truck driver, adding
four more children to the picture.
Her parents were struggling to support their family and had to survive through state aid
and welfare.
Parker used "Dickensian" to describe the severity of her early childhood, comparing her life
to the poor living conditions portrayed in Charles Dickens novels.
They would go without electricity on some days, and special holidays like birthdays
and Christmas were just another day.
No balloons, no cake, no presents.
It almost sounds like the life of Oliver Twist but as a young American girl.
- no, seriously.
Sarah was one of the children who shamefully lined up in front of the classroom when her
teacher called out names of the kids who received free food.
And she did so in hand-me-down clothes and extreme humiliation.
"It was a stigma thing.
I was not the only person receiving free lunch, but you are aware you are different,"
However, this lower-class lifestyle was only preparing young Kitty, as her friends call
her, for the role that would soon take her family out of poverty.
Even when times were tough, and all seemed hopeless, Sarah's mother would take her children
to free theatre shows or cinema's to bring a little joy into their lives.
And that's when the acting bug bit a young Parker.
Her supportive mother knew that her daughter was gifted and stopped at nothing to help
her achieve her dreams.
The older Mrs Parker would often clean studios to compensate for acting and singing lessons
for her little girl.
Finally, when Sarah was just eleven years old, her mother's hard work and determination
paid off.
Her family had moved to New Jersey to support her dreams, and before they knew it, the young
star had landed her very first stage role as Annie.
Yes, the once dirt poor little girl was telling the story of another not so fortunate young
girl whose life changes overnight.
So what were the odds of Sarah's life-changing too?
The young star became her family's primary breadwinner, and things just got better after
she landed her first tv role on Square Pegs.
Soon, she began appearing in motion picture movies.
It was on the set of the 1984 film, Firstborn that SJP fell in love with a young and dreamy
Robert Downey Junior.
The pair were madly in love!
And although they were both young at the time, they could see themselves spending the rest
of their lives together.
"I'm really happy with Sarah, and I don't want to ruin it by planning too far ahead,"
said a love-struck Downey.
"But the way I feel now, marriage looks like where we're headed."
They had moved in together and were ready to build a life together, so what could've
possibly gone wrong?
Downey's dreadful battle with alcohol and substance abuse was too much for Parker to
handle.
She had not imagined her love story being that unhealthy, and she shouldn't save the
ironman star.
The couple's romance burnt for seven years until Parker finally found the courage to
leave, even when she thought he was quote, "going to die."
But after losing one love, the right one came and swept Parker off her feet.
Parker and Matthew Broderick met and hit it off straight away.
Their five-year relationship turned into a long lasting marriage nearing THREE DECADES,
which raised three beautiful children.
When asked what the secret is to such a long-lasting romance, Broderick admitted to not knowing
but that he's just lucky to have her and loves her.
"I mean, I can't believe that it's been that long.
It doesn't feel like it."
The couple met on a Broadway set in the early
nineties, and Broderick had already appeared on the big screen for his golden globe nominated
performance in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Parker had also played a few roles on big screen movies like Footloose, but she hadn't
quite broken out into the industry as we know her to be today.
Just a year after they tied the knot, Parker landed the biggest role of her life and became
known as the certified New York party girl and go-to fashionista, Carrie Bradshaw.
The show ran for a good six years, full of romance, scandalous gossip and above all,
sisterhood.
In its run, the sitcom was nominated for a whopping TWO HUNDRED AND TEN nominations,
walking away with over fifty wins.
Parker was nominated for thirty-two awards for her role as the love and romance columnist
as well as the executive producer of the show.
There's a reason why people all over the world fell in love with Carrie, and not just because
we couldn't wait to see what bizarrely chic outfit she would put on next.
In SJP's own words,
"She was a really good friend.
That's why they can forgive those very apparent flaws and selfishnesses.
She was a deeply devoted friend, and I think women really respond to that kind of connection."
Carrie and her girls may have all been strikingly different, but they respected one another
and still got along.
They were a beacon of what true friendship should be, although it wasn't the case when
the cameras were off.
The fan favourites were Carrie and Sam, although they were rumoured to be the two people who
did not get along.
In the end, competing over success allegedly tore a rift between
the two actresses.
While Parker was receiving millions and climbing up her tower of success, Kim Crattal also
wanted a piece of the pie.
Unfortunately for the actress, the show's creators were not ready to submit to her demands,
causing her to walk away from the show that had launched her career.
Not much of her work was notable after that, aside from the movie adaptation of the show.
But even after the show came to an end, Parker's career was still rising.
She starred in movies like Family Stone, and who could ever forget the romance she sparked
with Matthew McConaughey in Failure To Launch.
And before the fans knew it, she was back as Carrie Bradshaw on the movie version of
Sex and The City.
The adaptation was well received, but unfortunately for Parker, the sequel received a lot of hate.
Of all the awards she had received for portraying the famously loved character, she now had
a Razzie award for Worst Actress to add to the list.
A year later, following that win, Parker was nominated for another Worst Actress award,
but luckily for the actress, she was forfeited.
Things seemed to be going a little low for the actress until she landed her role on the
TV series Divorced.
She plays a hilarious executive recruiter separating from her husband of seven years.
Like she never left, SJP was back on the right award list, bagging a golden globe nomination
for best actress.
SJP has been confirmed for the reboot of Sex and The City, which released a teaser trailer
in January, hinting at the spin-off title.
"And Just Like That…" the story continues.
So It seems that we'll be seeing a lot more of Parker in the years to come.
Sarah Jessica Parker grew up in some of the most unfavourable circumstances.
She experienced first-hand what it feels like to be misfortunate, so when she was presented
with the opportunity to change her life, it's no wonder she grabbed it with both hands.
And although she has come a long way from a little home in Ohio, Parker has never forgotten
about her humble beginnings.
She makes sure she gives back to the community at any chance she gets.
The actress supports over fifteen charities and twenty-two causes.
She is an inspiration to all of us that we should never let our background define us
but rather allow it to encourage us to reach our full potential.
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