Jennie Garth, 52, Reveals She's Had 2 Hip Replacement Surgeries, Saying She Doesn't 'Want to Hide Things'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jennie Garth for ‘Self’ magazine.Photo:Garrett Lobaugh

Garrett Lobaugh

Jennie Garthis sharing that she’s undergone two hip replacements — at age 48, and then this year, at age 52 — revealing that she was “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,” theBeverly Hills, 90210alum toldSelfin an interview published on Thursday, Sept. 12.

“I had wished during my journey of the first surgery that I could share my experience with people because there’s such a stigma around getting any of your joints replaced. This is something that doesn’t just affect 80-year-olds,” Garth said.

The actress, who said she grew up horseback riding and dancing, shared that she’d ”lived with hip pain for a very long time.” A doctor later confirmed she had osteoarthritis — which she said her parents and sisters have.

Jennie Garth in December 2023.Jesse Grant/Getty

Jesse Grant/Getty

As theMayo Clinicexplains, osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, and “occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down over time.”

But it wasn’t until a family ski trip where she couldn’t join in on any activities that Garth returned to the doctor. “I was in so much pain that I had to sit in the lodge and wait for them. That was very upsetting, as I felt like my quality of life was diminishing,” she told the outlet.

She also noted that “my husband [Dave Abrams, whom she married in 2015] 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.”

The doctor told Garth that her “hip joint wasn’t fitting right in its socket, and the tissue in the surrounding area was deteriorating,” and a hip replacement was the suggested treatment.

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Recovery was quick, the actress shared, adding she was back to her normal activities within two months. “I felt like [the]Bionic Woman— there was nothing I couldn’t do. I forgot all the time that I had a hip replacement; only having a four-inch scar on my body to remind me.”

Jennie Garth shares videos of herself working.Jennie Garth/Instagram

Jennie Garth/Instagram

However, earlier this year, Garth’s right hip started to hurt worse than her left hip ever had. “I felt excruciating pain with every step — I’d be unable to get down on the ground or get back up,” she recalled. “Given the success of my brand-new hip, I knew it was a no-brainer: I needed to get the other joint operated on.”

“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,” Garth continued, crediting herI Choose Mepodcast with inspiring her to share her surgery journey.

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The actress said she’s had “positive responses from people that I’m helping them, which makes being vulnerable on places like my podcast, for example, feel good.” And while she says she’s realized “my physical state has nothing to do with my spirit,” the fact is, as you get older, “life starts to change at this age in the most beautiful ways.”

“There are some scary and disappointing changes, like when you start to see and feel aging, but don’t be afraid of that,” Garth said. “It’s a part of who you are moving forward.”

source: people.com