‘I No Longer Want to Hide Things’

In a new profile for SELF magazine, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum dished on undergoing surgery to relace both her hips after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis.

Per the Mayo Clinic, osteoarthritis is “a chronic disease that breaks down cartilage and bone in joints, causing pain, stiffness, and swelling,” and something Garth was diagnosed with at 47.

“I remember [the doctor] telling me so carefully and gingerly, ‘I can see some arthritis coming,'” she said of her initial diagnosis. “It was a scary thing to hear because the condition progresses and gets more debilitating — and I was only in my mid-40s at the time. I remember feeling old and confused.”

Ultimately, the 52-year-old decided to seek out treatment, both so she could be there for her three daughters, whom she shares with ex, Peter Facinelli, and her husband, Dave Abrams.

“By the time I was 48, I started to feel like I couldn’t keep up with my family during our normal activities. On one ski trip in particular, I was in so much pain that I had to sit in the lodge and wait for them. I didn’t want to be someone who couldn’t do the things she loved with her family,” Garth shared. “Plus, my husband is nine years younger than me and very fit. I didn’t want to be married to a younger man and start to break down. I knew I needed to care for whatever was happening.”

The decision pushed Garth to get her first hip replacement, which she underwent in 2020 on her left hip.

“Within three days of the surgery, I ditched the walker and replaced it with a vacuum. I FaceTimed my sister to show her, who didn’t realize the significance of me doing household chores until I told her what happened –that’s how few people knew about it at first,” the actress said. “Looking back, I didn’t take it slow enough after the operation or give my body enough time to heal.”

The second operation came four years later, in March 2024, with Garth getting her right hip replaced — and it’s safe to say healing wasn’t as easy this time around.

“I came out sorer and was more laid up than the first time. (Turns out, the recovery period for my initial hip replacement was an anomaly. My doctors told me it takes anywhere from 6 to 12 months, sometimes longer, to feel normal again.) There was no vacuuming on the third day,” she confessed.

While she called the experience discouraging, Garth said she’s determined to not only heal properly, but listen to her body and take things slower so she can get back to the active lifestyle she loves.

Elsewhere in the interview, Garth opened up about undergoing IVF treatments with Abrams, as the pair attempted to grow their family.

While Garth has three kids of her own, the couple do not share any children together.

“[We] were trying to have a baby, and it kept failing. And that was really, really hard on both of us individually and on our relationship,” Garth admitted. “When we decided to let go of that possibility, it freed us up to love each other in a different way.”

Despite the traumatic ups and downs she’s experienced with her health in recent years, particularly when it comes to having her hips replaced, Garth said she no longer wants to hide things — a sentiment spawned by seeing the passing of friends and agemates like Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty at an early age.

“Truthfully, I was nervous to open up about my hip replacements. I’ve kept it a secret for so long, but I’m no longer at a place where I want to hide things,” she maintained. “Having several of my castmates pass away at such early ages really drives me to stay super active and do everything in my power to remain healthy. People put off taking care of themselves at all costs until they just can’t put it off anymore.”

“When something hurts, go to a doctor and do whatever you can to alleviate the pain because you don’t have to live in pain,” Garth added. “Listen to and respect your body, because this is the body we came into the world with and it’s the body we’re going to grow old with — and we have to take care of it.”