Despite being told it was âtoo lateâ to have a child at 54, actor Donna Mills refused to give up on her dream of becoming a mother.
The Knots Landing diva ârealized there was something missingâ from her life, inspiring her decision to step away from a thriving Hollywood career to raise her adopted daughter, Chloe.
Recently, the proud octogenarian announced that her âdarling girlâ is having a baby,â and the 83-year-old star âcanât wait to meet the little guy.â
Since her breakthrough role in Clint Eastwoodâs 1971 directorial debut Play Misty for Me, Donna Mills continued to enjoy a successful and steady career in Hollywood.
She became a household name with her award-winning portrayal of the iconic villain Abby Fairgate on the popular primetime soap opera Knots Landing.
In 1989, after stepping away from the role that audiences loved to hate, the actor appeared in several other TV series, including the two-part series finale in 1993.
When she was 54, Mills realized there was a âbig holeâ in her life and decided to pursue a more personal dream.
âI was very concentrated on my career, but at a certain point, I realized there was something missing â It was a child,â Mills, now 83, told People in 2022. âSo, I went after it. I adopted [Chloe] when she was four days old.â
But she faced a wave of skepticism and judgment, many questioning her decision to raise a young child at her age.
âBy that time, I was 54 and people said, âYouâre going to be so old [to] have a little toddler running around.â I never felt that,â she recalls. âI never felt older than the other mothers who were probably in their 20s.â
Mills was fully committed to being a present mother and took an 18-year hiatus from Hollywood to raise her little girl.
âI didnât work,â Mills says. âWell, the first couple of years, I did work. I did some movies for television and stuff like that, because I could take her wherever I went. But then when [Chloe] started school, I wasnât going to go out of town for two months at a time. And I didnât become a mother to give her to a nanny.â
Today, the NOPE actor and Chloe are very close â the two even have matching heart tattoos on their wrists â and Mills says that motherhood is an absolute joy.
âBeing a mother gives you a depth of feeling you didnât know existed until you hold that baby in your arms. And now I feel it every time I see her, every time we hug and laugh and do silly stuff together,â the doting mother shares in an Instagram post dedicated to her daughter on Motherâs Day 2023.
The post continues, âAs she said to me when she was two years old, âMommy, our heartstrings are tied together.â They are my darling girl, and they always will be.â
On October 6, 2024, the Gunsmoke actor shared an Instagram post, announcing that her stunning âbaby girlâ is pregnant with Millsâ first grandson.
âMy baby girl is having a baby!!â Mills writes in the post that includes a series of images from Chloeâs baby shower. âAnd we gave her the shower of her dreams. Canât wait to meet the little guy. I know Iâll love him as much as I love her.â
A few days before Millsâ shared her post, Chloe, 30, and her husband Travis Collings also shared an announcement on social media.
âBaby Boy Collings coming in 2025,â the couple captioned the post, which includes an image of Chloe on the beach, cradling her baby bump.
Over the years, Mills has spoken about how adopting Chloe was the best decision she ever made, finding fulfillment in motherhood despite societal expectations or norms. She has proven that age is not a barrier to nurturing a meaningful and loving relationship with a child.
And, she says sheâs happy she didnât listen to all the noise about her being too old at 54 to have a child.
Encouraging other career-driven women to consider waiting before they start a family, Mills adds, âIf you want to give to your career, I say having a child later in life is better than having a child early,â she says.
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