Pamela, A Love Story: 11 revelations from Pamela Anderson’s intimate new documentary

Icon Pamela Anderson has garnered notoriety for an array of reasons since she shot to fame in the 1990s for her lead role in Baywatch. Sadly, the notoriety she received, and its aftermath, was rarely what she sought – her fame, body and money were often viewed as something for others to take, consume and enjoy. 

Last year, the star joined an exhaustive list of female stars who have received the biopic and/or documentary treatment, without their consent. 

In an interview with Variety last week, Pamela called Pam and Tommy – the Disney+ biopic TV series, starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan that recreated the darker moments of her marriage to Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, including the leaking of their sex tape – “crushing”.

Throughout her career, she has effectively had the story of her life and fame stolen and told through other people’s words and camera lenses. 

With this new Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story, the 55-year-old reclaims the narrative around her wild, dramatic, incredibly interesting life story – in her own words. Here are eleven of the top takeaways, from the wholesome to the downright heartbreaking.

1. Pamela has come full circle in a beautiful way, living in the house she grew up in 

Although she had a rather unsettling childhood, Pamela opens up about the peace that she has found by moving back to where her life began. That said, she also calls this experience “triggering and crazy, like marrying a rock star”.

She describes her home town of Ladysmith, Vancouver Island “this nutty place where, you know, my childhood happened”, but also a form of “truth serum”, as it forces her to face up to the truth of who she is.

Netflix

2. She was molested by her female babysitter – who she then tried to kill 

Pamela revealed that while her parents thought her childhood babysitter could be trusted because she bought her presents, the truth was much more traumatising. “She was molesting me,” she says.