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CUDDLY POOCH Theo
is one of the
joys of Sandy's
life. "My goal
in life is
very simple
right now,"
the still-gorgeous actress
explains. "I'm going to
try to
stay happy." |
Sandra Dee: Anorexia And Alcohol Drove Me To The Brink Of Death
"For the first time in my life I don't want to die."
Those dramatic words come from former teen queen Sandra Dee, now 56, who says she's finally won her nightmarish battle against depression, booze and anorexia.
But brave Sandy gets up at 5 a.m. every day to work out at her neighborhood gym -- to combat the years of abuse that have taken their toll.
And she still worries that the slightest illness could land her in the hospital. She undergoes a blood test once a month to check for any imbalances.
"I am always under a doctor's care," she told The ENQUIRER in an exclusive interview. "Once a month I go in for blood tests. I know I've abused my body by not eating and going to extremes.
' I've gone through a nightmare -- thank God I'm out of it '
"I do have a blood test to be sure my electrolytes are all in balance and that I'm not anemic. I don't want to get sick. I'd rather go in once a month and get checked out than have to sit around and worry about my health.
"Until two years ago, I just didn't want to go on living. Right now my biggest joy in life is knowing that I want to get up each morning."
Still blonde and perky, the one-time big screen sweetheart, who soared to fame as "Gidget" and "Tammy," credits her amazing
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SANDY kept
a drink handy while
out with Bobby Darin
& young son Dodd. |
recovery to the birth of her precious granddaughter, Alexa, in 1996.
"My wonderful granddaughter was the turning point in my life," she said. "I suddenly realized I wanted to live!"
Her battles with the bottle and anorexia have been well-publicized in the past. She has also publicly acknowledged that she was sexually abused at the age of 8 by her stepfather.
"I didn't understand what was going on. I was a child," she said. It took her decades to come to grips with the nightmare and confront the truth.
But the star of "A Summer Place" was the envy of every young girl when she married singing idol Bobby Darin while still in her teens and had a son, Dodd, with him.
The marriage ended in divorce in 1967. Tragically, Bobby -- who she still deeply loves -- died in 1973 at the age of 37 following surgery to replace a heart valve.
"Even though we had divorced, Bobby and I remained very good friends. He lived with the family a year before he died. I don't know what happened to our marriage. Maybe I grew up and he just never expected that.
FAST FACTS: Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin celebrated the birth of their son, Dodd, in December 1961, the next year Bobby released two "baby" songs -- "Baby Face" and "I Found A New Baby." Dodd, a Malibu businessman, went on to later write a book about his parents' romance called: "Dream Lovers."
"I miss him every day. He would be so happy with the Sandra Dee of today."
But Sandy's life back then hit rock bottom with booze and deep depression, and this pattern worsened when her mother, Mary, died 10 years ago.
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LUSH LIFE:
Sandra in earlier days
surrounded by booze. |
"After my mother died I just sat in the house and said, 'What the hell?' It was like I was trying to commit suicide. But I was too much of a chicken to do anything deliberate -- like take pills. So I just abused my body with alcohol.
"I had been in such a state of depression that I didn't even go to my son's wedding six years ago."
But her dependence on alcohol ended the day Alexa was born.
"I went to the hospital at 5 in the morning to see her. And I stopped abusing alcohol right then."
She confessed to The ENQUIRER: "I still have a glass of wine with a meal now and then. But I can control it and that's the important thing. I don't touch anything stronger than wine now. And there are weeks that go by that I don't have anything to drink.
"Listen, I realize what I'm doing won't work for everybody. But it works for me."
She remains sensitive to any speculation that her drinking problems continue today.
FAST FACTS: Sandra Dee's real name is Alexandra Zuck. Her late ex-husband, singer Bobby Darin, was born Walden Robert Cassotto.
When she got off a plane recently in Los Angeles, those who saw her reported she needed to be assisted deplaning and walking through the airport.
But Sandy says a raging ear infection was worsened by the flight -- and that was it.
"I successfully fought anorexia. I fought drinking. I fought all that. Now I have to defend myself when I get an earache.
"If people see me and think I've lost a half a pound they say: 'Whoops, her anorexia is back.' This is nuts!"
Although her terrifying battle with anorexia saw her weight once plunge to a dangerous 86 pounds, the 5-foot-5 grandma now tips the scales at a healthier 106, but she admits she would like to add on another four or five pounds. "I should be about 110," she said.
"I was anorexic for many, many years -- even before people knew what it was. They didn't even have a name for it back then. I was a model in New York. And the reason I was anorexic is because I developed a bust when I was 8 years old. I matured very early. And I didn't want any of it. Plus I have a very, very round face. I kept dieting and dieting.
"Throughout my life I never believed I could be too thin."
She's busy writing her autobiography, "Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee," and is putting together a movie about her romance with Darin, called "Dream Lover."
"My biggest regret in the world is that Bobby and my mother didn't live to see Alexa born, to see me straighten out and see my son Dodd grow up to be an outstanding man," she said.
FAST FACTS:Sandy played "Gidget" to James Darren's "Moondoggie" and Cliff Robertson's "Kahoona" in the 1959 hit movie. Darren is now 62 years old. Robertson is 72.
"But my goal in life is very simple right now. I'm going to try to stay happy.
"I've gone through a nightmare. And thank God I'm out of it!"
