Gwyneth Paltrow book bombshells from Madonna fall out to x-rated Ben Affleck confession
For decades, Gwyneth Paltrow has been at the very heart of popular culture, from red carpets to wellness trends. Now, a new biography purports to shed light on the superstar behind closed doors.
For her unauthorised book 'Gwyneth: The Biography', writer Amy Odell interviewed 220 people to get a clear picture of who the 52-year-old actress turned businesswoman really is, away from her controversial thoughts on vaginal steaming and jade eggs.
Born in LA to actress Blythe Danner and film producer-director Bruce Paltrow, Gwyneth was rubbing shoulders with movie professionals from birth, and it's unsurprising that she rose to become Hollywood royalty and one of the most talked about women on Earth. It comes after Taylor Swift sparks engagement rumours as fans spot Travis Kelce's lock screen.
The Talented Mr Ripley star has long intrigued fans, not least because of the many icons who populate her close inner circle, from pin-up exes to legendary former best friends. Here, the Mirror takes a look at just some of the bombshells in Odell's hair-raising new book, including a very naughty anecdote about Ben Affleck...
Brad Pitt jibe
Gwyneth has long appeared to be on excellent terms with her A-lister ex Brad Pitt, with the former couple even opening up about the now platonic love they share in a 2022 Goop interview. Making reference to her TV writer husband Brad Falchuk, Gwyneth joked: "I finally found the Brad I was supposed to marry. It just took me 20 years."
However, Odell has suggested that things perhaps haven't always been so amicable between the pair, who first locked eyes in 1994, on the set of David Fincher's classic crime thriller, Se7en. Two years later, the iconic '90s 'It couple' announced their engagement, but parted ways before making it to the altar.
It wasn't long before Brad moved on with Friends actress Jennifer Aniston, marking the beginning of the Brad, Jenn, and Angelina love triangle that would keep gossip writers chattering throughout the '00s. For Gywneth's part, she spoke fondly about her heartthrob ex in interviews, describing him as "so gorgeous and sweet" in a 2015 interview with Howard Stern.
However, as claimed by Odell, in private, Gwyneth used some far less glowing terms to describe her ex-fiancé, who she reportedly blasted as "dumber than a sack of s**t" who had "terrible taste in women".
A few years after her heartbreaking split from the Fight Club star, the future wellbeing entrepreneur became the face of Estee Lauder. It was during this time that a friendship developed with the founder's daughter, billionaire heiress Aerin Lauder, in whom she allegedly confided her true feelings about Brad.
According to this bombshell book, while seated together at dinner one evening, Gwyneth plainly told Aerin: "He's dumber than a sack of s***."
'Toxic' friendship with Madonna
Once upon a time, Gwyneth and music legend Madonna were thick as thieves back in the '90s and '00s. As two of the most recognisable women in the world, the pair had plenty in common, from being married to English husbands to a love of Kabbalah. They would even enjoy holidays together.
It would appear that Gwyneth looked up to the now 66-year-old Queen of Pop as an inspiration as she navigated the challenges and pitfalls of the upper echelons of fame. Back in 2006, as per US Weekly, Gwyneth shared: 'Everything I have gone through, she went through 10 times worse and 10 times longer. She gives me good advice about how to say no and take care of myself."
However, according to Odell's book, things went downhill sharply when Madonna's "toxic" behaviour allegedly left Gwyneth and her then-husband Chris Martin "disgusted".
Odell wrote: 'Their relationship reached a breaking point when Madonna showed up to an island where Gwyneth and [Chris] Martin were vacationing. Madonna seemed to know that Gwyneth would be there, which Gwyneth seemed to find strange, a friend remembered.
"Madonna then insisted Gwyneth and Martin join her for a big group dinner at a long table, where Madonna went off on her daughter, Lourdes. Gwyneth and Martin were disgusted by the behavior. 'I can't be around this woman anymore,' Martin told Gwyneth. 'She's awful.' Gwyneth agreed that Madonna was toxic and ended the friendship.'
It's unclear when exactly this incident occurred, and no details have ever been given publicly to explain why the friendship cooled off. However, the two former besties have not been photographed together since 2010, suggesting this was the cut-off point. It was also at this point that a source told US Weekly that the women were no longer on speaking terms.
Steamy Ben Affleck reveal
Shortly after her painful split from Brad, Gwyneth entered into a relationship with another leading man, Ben Affleck. The year was 1997, at time when Affleck was enjoying widespread acclaim for his Academy Award-winning screenplay Good Will Hunting.
Gwyneth, too, was riding a career high, being in the midst of a flurry of well-received movies. The year before, she'd starred in the title role of Emma Woodhouse in a widely beloved adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. The year 1998 proved to be Gwyneth's golden year, seeing her star in both Sliding Doors and Shakespeare In Love.
Their three-year relationship, therefore, came at an exciting time for both Gwyneth and Affleck, and these thrills reportedly extended to the bedroom. According to Odell, Gwyneth confided in makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin about the adventurous sex life she shared with Affleck, now 52.
In particular, Gwyneth reportedly spoke candidly about an X-rated sex act she allegedly "loved". According to Odell: 'She spoke openly about how much she enjoyed their sex life. She told (Aucoin) one day that she loved when Affleck 'tea-bagged' her."
She added: "It was the ribald side of her that her friends knew well but that the public didn't see."
Saucey antics aside, Gwyneth and Affleck were well suited, but sadly, Affleck's "demons" allegedly stood in the way of a happily ever after. Odell claimed: "Her friends thought Ben was more of an intellectual match. But he had demons. Affleck was struggling with alcoholism and a gambling habit around the time he met Gwyneth.'
Affleck has spoken openly about being a recovering alcoholic. In 2020, he told The New York Times: "People with compulsive behavior, and I am one, have this kind of basic discomfort all the time that they're trying to make go away. You're trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making your life worse."
Gwyneth: The Biography by Amy Odell will be available to buy from July 29.
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