Pamela Anderson has had her fair share of headline-grabbing romances and tumultuous marriages, but the 57-year-old Baywatch icon has finally made peace with being alone. Honoured as Glamour’s 2024 Global Woman of the Year, Pamela used her moment in the spotlight to reflect on her relationship history, admitting that the past few years have been about rediscovering herself—without a man by her side.
Pamela, who has been married six times to five different men, revealed that being single hasn’t come easy. “This last couple of years… it was an effort to just stay alone and figure out what I love, what I like, what I want to do,” she confessed to Glamour. “I’m definitely much happier now. Ten years ago, I felt like a failure. I think it was probably the last 20 years, maybe.”
Her words offered a rare glimpse into the vulnerability of a woman who, for decades, has been defined by her high-profile relationships. But after years of heartbreak and very public break-ups, Pamela appears to be turning a new leaf—one where her identity is no longer tethered to a partner.
Pamela’s relationship history reads like a who’s who of rock stars, poker players, and Hollywood producers. Her first marriage to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in 1995 was perhaps her most famous and scandalous.
The couple wed in Mexico just four days after meeting, and their relationship was a whirlwind of passion, chaos, and controversy. Together, they welcomed two sons—Brandon, now 27, and Dylan, 26—but their marriage came crashing down amid allegations of abuse and an infamous sex tape that made them a media sensation.
"The divorce from Tommy was the hardest, lowest, most difficult point of my life," Pamela wrote in her memoir, detailing the harrowing moments that led her to finally call time on their marriage in 1998.
“I was crushed. I still couldn’t believe that the person I loved the most was capable of what had happened that night. We were both devastated, but I had to protect my babies.” Lee was arrested and served six months in jail for felony spousal abuse after Pamela alleged that he assaulted her while she was holding their son, Brandon.
Despite the traumatic end, Pamela has always been open about the complicated nature of their love. Even today, the two maintain a cordial relationship for the sake of their children, and Tommy has since moved on, marrying actress and Vine star Brittany Furlan in 2019.
From there, Pamela’s romantic life seemed to spiral into a series of brief yet dramatic unions. Her marriage to rapper Kid Rock in 2006 lasted a matter of months before it ended in a bitter split.
Then came her on-again, off-again relationship with poker player Rick Salomon, whom she married twice—once in 2007 and again in 2014. The second time around, their relationship dissolved into acrimony, with Pamela filing for divorce and later obtaining a restraining order against Rick.
In a shocking twist, Rick made a series of disturbing allegations against her, calling her a “serial baby killer” in legal documents—claims she categorically denied and called out as malicious lies. It was a dark chapter that Pamela was determined to close, emerging stronger but undeniably scarred by the experience.
“People think I go after bad boys, but I didn’t go after any bad boys. Bad boys came after me!” Pamela quipped during her interview, addressing the long-standing perception that she’s drawn to tumultuous romances. With a knowing smile, she added, “It’s not like I ever asked for any of this.”
Just when it seemed her love life couldn’t get any more chaotic, Pamela made headlines again in 2020 when she secretly married Hollywood producer
The surprises didn’t end there. Before fans had time to catch their breath, Pamela announced that she had fallen head over heels for her bodyguard, Dan Hayhurst. The pair tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at her Vancouver Island home in December 2020, but the love story fizzled out almost as quickly as it had begun. By January 2022, they were quietly calling it quits, marking yet another failed marriage for the star.
Looking back, Pamela described her relationship with Dan as a “pandemic romance,” admitting that they’d rushed into things during the loneliness of lockdown. “He’s the kinda guy I would have met if I didn’t go round the world and get crazy,” she joked at the time. But as restrictions eased and life returned to normal, the reality of their differences set in.
Through it all, Pamela has managed to keep her sense of humour and, remarkably, her optimism. Now, with her love life on pause, she’s using the time to focus on herself. “For the first time, I’m just living for me,” she said. “I don’t know what’s next, but I’m finally okay with that.”
Her candid words were accompanied by a stunning photoshoot for Glamour, where Pamela embraced her natural beauty, posing without a trace of makeup and wearing nothing but a chic trench coat. The photos exuded confidence and self-assurance, a testament to her journey of self-discovery.
“I’m not looking for anything right now,” she admitted, hinting that she’s content being single and no longer feels the need to rush into another relationship. “I used to think I needed a man to complete me, but now I know I’m enough on my own.”
At 57, Pamela Anderson is proving that reinvention is always possible, no matter how tumultuous the past may be. She’s raising her two sons, Brandon and Dylan, who have both found success in the entertainment world, and continues to champion causes close to her heart, from animal rights to environmental activism.
“I’m definitely much happier now,” she reiterated, her smile radiating through every word. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m finally at peace with that.”