The very rocky road that led Sharon Stone to single motherhood: How Basic Instinct actress, 64, overcame the heartache of two divorces, two failed engagements, and NINE miscarriages to become a mom to three adopted sons
- Stone recently opened up about the ‘profound loss’ she endured after suffering multiple miscarriages
- The Basic Instinct icon went on to become a mother to three adopted sons: Roan, 22, Laird, 16, and Quinn, 15
- She adopted her first child, Roan, in 2000 during her failed marriage to journalist, Phil Bronstein
- Stone was married to Bronstein from 1998 to 2004; prior to that she was wed to producer Michael Greenburg
- The actress also had failed engagements to producer William MacDonald and director Bob Wagner
Sharon Stone has opened up like never-before in her new memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, detailing how she suffered has nine miscarriages over the years.
Speaking candidly about the ‘profound loss’ she endured during her fertility struggles, the 64-year-old revealed how the heartbreak she experienced helped inspire her decision to adopt.
Following several failed relationships and a lengthy custody battle with her ex-husband Phil Bronstein, the Hollywood star is now a single mother to her three adopted sons, Roan, 22, Laird, 16, and Quinn, 15.
The journey to motherhood has been a complicated one for the Total Recall star, who recently revealed she secretly had an abortion when she was 18.
Stone then found herself struggling to conceive during her marriage to Bronstein due to an autoimmune disease and endometriosis.
The couple then adopted her first child, Roan, before their divorce in 2004 led to a 13-year custody battle.
Within that time, Stone expanded her family further as she adopted two more sons, Laird and Quinn.
As the star continues to raise her children as a single mom, FEMAIL takes a look back at her colorful relationship history and the health issues that led her down the path of adoption.
Her secret abortion as a teenager before finding fame
Telling all: Sharon Stone has been open about her fertility struggles in recent years, with the star sharing details about her abortion as a teen and her inability to conceive afterwards (pictured in 1985)
Screen siren: In 1992, Stone shot to superstardom after her film Basic Instinct with Michael Douglas was released and made waves
Before making the move to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career in showbusiness, Stone grew up in ‘near poverty in Pennsylvania’s Amish country’.
During her youth, the Gloria star has previously revealed that she was subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of her late father, whom she has since forgiven.
Stone, who worked at McDonalds and as a waitress , got an abortion after falling pregnant by ‘her first serious boyfriend’.
The actress recalls the incident in the pages of her recently released memoir, blaming her ‘extreme country background’ and ‘sexual inexperience’ for her teen pregnancy.
Stone was driven by her then-boyfriend to Ohio because she was ‘too young’ to get an abortion in her home state of Pennsylvania, as per an excerpt published by The Sun.
After the procedure, Stone ‘stayed in [her] room and bled for days’ because she was ‘too afraid to tell anyone.’
‘When she finally came out, she burned her bloody sheets and clothes before going straight back to school,’ the outlet summarized of the traumatic incident.
How her hunt for true love resulted in several failed relationships and marriages
Unlucky in love: Stone was married to her first husband, producer Michael Greenburg from 1984 to 1990
Bitted end: Her second marriage to journalist and editor Phil Bronstein lasted from 1998 until 2003. Their divorce was finalized in 2004.
Didn’t make it to the altar: Stone was once engaged to producer William J. MacDonald (left) between 1992 and 1994. She got engaged to director Bob Wagner (right) in 1994, but the pair called it quits just one year later
Stone has made many headlines over the years after publicly dealing with failed marriages and engagements over the course of her career.
In 1984, the star began dating television producer Michael Greenburg on the set of The Vegas Strip War.
The pair eventually went on to separate in 1987, before their divorce was finalized in 1990.
The Where Sleeping Dogs Lie actress then enjoyed a brief relationship with comedian Garry Shandling, before she went on to begin a relationship with producer William MacDonald after meeting on the set of the film, Sliver, in 1993.
MacDonald ended his marriage with Naomi Baca for Stone and the couple became engaged in the same year. However, they separated in 1994 – with Stone famously returning the engagement ring via FexEx.
The Last Action Hero actress found love again in 1994 as she once again connected with a colleague on set. After striking up a romance with first assistant director Bob Wagner, they pair became engaged that same year.
Ultimately, things did not work out and Stone moved on with journalist Phil Bronstein, who works as the executive editor of The San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle.
Fleeting love: The star also dated several famous names including country singer Dwight Yoakam
Not the right match: The actress also enjoyed a brief romance with Argentinian model model Martin Mica from 2012 to 2013
The pair wed in 1998 and adopted their son, Roan Joseph Bronstein, two years later. However, the relationship turned sour with Bronstein filing for divorce in 2003.
Reflecting on the breakdown of the marriage, Stone told AARP magazine: ‘He just didn’t see me, talk to me, look at me…. His initial intention with me was probably corrupt. I was suckered. I’m embarrassed to say that.’
Bronstein was awarded primary custody of Roan in 2008, with a judge ruling that the child should stay in San Francisco.
The court decision was devastating for the actress. Recalling when she had to speak at philanthropic event afterwards in an interview with Saga magazine, Stone remembered praying: ‘”God, please help me. I know I have to go out there and raise money. But I’ve lost my child, I’ve lost my health, I’ve lost everything.” I was just broken.’
‘After I lost primary custody of Roan, I couldn’t function. I just lay on the couch. I was so damn tired. I would cry,’ she continued. ‘I couldn’t focus on anything but having my son back in my arms. Nothing else mattered, just getting him back,’ she added.
Stone has since then signed a confidentiality agreement about the custody battle.
The Casino star has also been linked to country singer Dwight Yoakam, film executive Barry Josephson, model Martin Mica, actor David DeLuise and real estate mogul Angelo Boffa over the years.
In 2018, Stone stated she won’t ever allow herself to be ‘defined’ by a man and claimed she will no longer enter a relationship unless it is an ‘actual partnership.’
Speaking to Grazia magazine, she stated: ‘I was just not that girl who was told that a man would define me. I was told that if I wanted to have a man in my life, it wouldn’t be an arrangement, it would be an actual partnership. And those are hard to find.’
Reflecting on her rollercoaster love life in 2021, Stone told Elle magazine: ‘I have failed important aspects, with my health, marriages, but have lived to tell the tale.’
How the star silently overcame nine miscarriages while trying to start a family
Hard times: The actress has been open about the fact she suffered three miscarriages during her marriage to Phil Bronstein
In June 20202, Stone spoke for the first time about suffering nine miscarriages as she shared her anguish that there is ‘no forum to discuss the profound loss’.
The Lovelace actress discussed her loss underneath an Instagram post by People, in which Dancing With The Stars performer Peta Murgatroyd had opened up about losing a pregnancy with her husband Maks Chmerkovskiy.
The star wrote: ‘We, as females don’t have a forum to discuss the profundity of this loss. I lost nine children by miscarriage It is no small thing, physically nor emotionally.
Profound loss: ‘We, as females don’t have a forum to discuss the profundity of this loss. I lost nine children by miscarriage,’ Stone wrote about her experience in June 2022
‘Yet we are made to feel it is something to bear alone and secretly with some kind of sense of failure. Instead of receiving the much needed compassion and empathy and healing which we so need.’
She continued: ‘Female health and wellness left to the care of the male ideology has become lax at best, ignorant in fact, and violently oppressive in effort.’
The Disaster Artist actress has previously explained how she went through ’36 hours of labor alone’ after losing a baby at five and a half months pregnant.
This wasn’t the first time the movie icon had opened up about the painful subject, as the year before saw Stone candidly reflect on her miscarriages while praising the ‘global sisterhood’ for now speaking out about ‘issues of loss and heartache’.
The star explained that she went through ’36 hours of labor alone’ after losing a baby at five and a half months pregnant, revealing that nurses stayed with her and she felt a ‘strong sense of understanding’.
Speaking openly about her own experiences, Stone also explained she felt a ‘strong sense of sisterhood’ from the nurses helping her through a ‘fifth and a half month miscarriage’ during a Radio 4 Women’s Hour and BBC Sounds interview.
She said: ‘It’s a devastating experience and I have to say I was really grateful to Chrissy Teigen for allowing us to publicly share what she went through.’
‘When I lost my last baby, and then went back to the hospital and had 36 hours of labour on my own to, of course, birth nothing – and the nurses that had been in the hospital with me two days before when they removed the last baby came in and sat with me on their day off.
‘I really felt such a strong sense of sisterhood and understanding. Because I would have been alone. And that’s such an alone feeling anyway.’
How her struggle to conceive began her adoption journey
Her boy: The Gloria star previously revealed that she was approved to adopt her first son Roan, while on the way home from having a miscarriage. Pictured with Roan in 2021
Family: Stone is mother to three adopted sons, Roan, 22, Laird, 16, and Quinn, 15 – pictured in 2018
During her married to Phil Bronstein, Stone suffered several miscarriages which led the couple to look into adoption.
In 2000, they adopted their son, Roan, and ended up in a lengthy custody battle over their child after divorcing in 2004.
At the time, Stone lost custody of their adopted three-year-old and the star recalled the heart-breaking moment in her memoir.
‘I couldn’t function,’ the star wrote, adding that she believed the situation caused her to have a prolapsed valve that led her to develop anorexia at the time.
Content: The movie star shares rare posts of her family life with fans on Instagram
After a ‘very long, very difficult game of custody chess’ which took 13 years – a now 22-year-old Roan lives with his mother.
Meanwhile, Stone also adopted her second son Laird Vonne, 16, in 2005, before adding her third son, Quinn Kelly Stone, 15, to the family in 2006.
In 2018, the Mosaic star revealed that being a parent to her three boys completely changed her life.
The Basic Instinct actress explained to Grazia: ‘Having three kids certainly will change your reality. And I think that not trying to be a girl and allowing yourself to be a grown-up woman is also very helpful.’
How further family tragedy resulted in the death of her nephew
Rest in peace: In 2021, Stone mourned the death of her later nephew River William Stone
Heart-wrenching: Days before, the star shared a photo of the baby boy lying in a hospital bed in a tangle of wires and tubes while revealing he was in a coma due to ‘severe organ failure’
Sadly, Stone’s family members also suffered the loss of a child last year when the actress’ 11 month-old nephew, River, suddenly passed away.
River was the youngest child of Stone’s younger brother Patrick and his wife, Tasha, who live in Ohio with their three children.
In August 2021, Stone’s godson was rushed to hospital after he was found in his crib suffering ‘severe organ failure’ that left him in a coma.
The actress had asked fans for their prayers at the time, but she did not share any other information about what exactly happened to River.
‘My nephew and godson River Stone was found in his crib w[sic] total organ failure today. Please pray for him. We need a miracle,’ she wrote, while posting an image of River lying in a hospital bed while hooked up to numerous medical devices.
Days later she confirmed the tragic news of River’s passing on Instagram by posting a video of the baby boy along with the caption: ‘River William Stone. Sept. 8, 2020 – Aug. 30, 2021.’
What causes a miscarriage?
It is highly unlikely that you will ever know the actual cause of a one-off miscarriage, but most are due to the following problems:
• ABNORMAL FETUS
The most common cause of miscarriages in the first couple of months is a one-off abnormal development in the fetus, often due to chromosome anomalies. ‘It’s not as though the baby is fine one minute and suddenly dies the next,’ says Professor James Walker, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Leeds.
‘These pregnancies fail from the outset and were never destined to succeed.’ Most miscarriages like this happen by eight weeks, although bleeding may not start until three or four weeks later, which is worth remembering in subsequent pregnancies. ‘If a scan at eight weeks shows a healthy heart beat, you have a 95 per cent chance of a successful pregnancy,’ says Professor Walker.
• HORMONAL FACTORS
A hormonal blip could cause a sporadic miscarriage and never be a problem again. However, a small number of women who have long cycles and irregular periods may suffer recurrent miscarriages because the lining of the uterus is too thin, making implantation difficult.
Unfortunately, hormone treatment is not terribly successful.
‘There used to be a trend for progesterone treatment, but trials show this really doesn’t work,’ warns Professor Walker. ‘There is some evidence that injections of HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin, a hormone released in early pregnancy) can help, but it’s not the answer for everyone.’ The treatment must be started as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, at around four or five weeks.
• AGE
For women over 40, one in four women who become pregnant will miscarry. [One in four women of all ages miscarry, but these figures include women who don’t know that they are pregnant. Of women who do know that they’re pregnant, the figure is one in six. Once you’re over 40, and know that you’re pregnant, the figure rises to one in four]
• AUTO-IMMUNE BLOOD DISORDERS
Around 20 per cent of recurrent miscarriers suffer from lupus or a similar auto-immune disorder that causes blood clots to form in the developing placenta.
A simple blood test, which may need to be repeated several times, can reveal whether or not this is the problem.’One negative test does not mean that a women is okay,’ warns Mr Roy Farquharson, consultant gynaecologist who runs an early pregnancy unit at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Often pregnancy can be a trigger for these disorders, so a test should be done as soon as possible,’ he adds.But it can easily be treated with low dose aspirin or heparin injections, which help to thin the blood and prevent blood clots forming – a recent trial also showed that women do equally well on either. ”We have a 70 per cent live birth rate in women treated for these disorders,’ says Dr Farquharson, ‘which is excellent.’
• OTHER CAUSES
While uterine abnormalities, such as fibroids, can cause a miscarriage, many women have no problems carrying a pregnancy to term. An incompetent cervix can also cause miscarriage at around 20 weeks.
While this can be treated by a special stitch in the cervix, trials suggest it is not particularly successful, although it may delay labour by a few weeks.Gene and chromosomal abnormalities, which can be detected by blood tests, may also cause recurrent miscarriages in a small number of couples.
A procedure known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis can help. After in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), a single cell is taken from the developing embryo and tested for the gene defect. Only healthy embryos are then replaced in the womb.
It is an expensive and stressful procedure – and pregnancy rates tend to be quite low – but for some this is preferable to repeated miscarriages or a genetically abnormal baby.
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