Hollywood stars and their regrets in life

They seem invincible, but celebrities too end up feeling guilty - from going under the knife to betraying friends

In her song Someone Like You, Adele rightly croons, “Regrets and mistakes, they are memories made”. Regrets are a part of everyone’s lives — the only difference is that with constant media scrutiny, a celebrity’s mistake is more likely to grab the spotlight. Yet, several stars have gone on record to admit to goof-ups. Case in point, Hugh Jackman, who recently confessed that one of his greatest childhood regrets was not taking up dance lessons because someone called him a “sissy”. “I wish I could take back the decision when I was 12 to not go and do dancing lessons,” he said, adding that it wasn’t until 19 that the same person apologised to him, which prompted him to take up dancing and win several awards.

Jackman isn’t the only celebrity who has regretted life decisions. Here’s a master list of, if only ...

Heidi Montag: When Heidi Montag started her career in television in 2006, she was a natural beauty. However, 10 plastic surgeries later, the model was unrecognisable. Speaking about her decision,  she said, “I definitely regret the surgeries that I have had over the years, I think I was so young and in such an unstable situation in my life, with so much going on and so much pressure. It is really hard to be a woman in this day and age with all media and Internet and comments. There is so much more negativity coming at people.”

Tom Cruise: In 2008, Cruise admitted that he wished he could take back a few things he had said in the past, especially his “verbal attack” on Brooke Shields. In 2007, during the promotion of his film, War of the Worlds, the actor had criticised Shields’s use of drugs to treat her post-natal depression. Speaking about the incident a year later he said, “It came out wrong, it’s just not true. I was raised by four women who have children and babies. I’m not trying to tell anyone how to live their life or what they should believe or shouldn’t believe. I felt I could have handled it better.”

Usher: The hip-hop singer’s biggest regret in life, reportedly, is that he didn’t slow down to spend time with his father. In his final words, the singer’s father asked  Usher to forgive him for not being around when he was young. This inspired him to pen the song, Prayer For You. He said, “Instead of being there when he was sick, I was working. No amount of money could have fixed my father’s health, but I could have just spent that time with him.”

Jennifer Garner: Garner, who recently split from second husband Ben Affleck, confessed in 2012 that she regretted marrying her first husband, Scott Fedley, very early in life. “I wish I’d known to wait for marriage until I was 30 or over,” she said in an interview. “I did marry in my 20s, and I found divorce a crushing experience. I thought the divorce statistics would never apply to me. I was beyond heartbroken when they did. But I kept my belief in marriage,” she added. Jennifer and Scott split after two-and-a-half years of marriage.

Justin Timberlake: If someone had to ask the singer about his favourite on-stage performance, the one with Janet Jackson at the 2004 Super Bowl show would probably be his answer. However, he has a sour memory attached to it. Towards the end of the performance, Timberlake ripped open Janet’s jacket, exposing her breast. The ‘wardrobe malfunction’ was splashed across the media with Jackson being blamed for the incident. A few years later, Justin admitted that he regretted not standing by Janet. “I wish I had supported Janet more. I’m not sorry I apologised, but I wish I had been there more for Janet.”

Charlie Sheen: The actor is not known to be big on apologies but he made an exception for his Two and a Half Men co-star Jon Cryer. In an interview in 2012, Sheen admitted that he regrets turning on his friend Cryer and calling him a ‘troll’ and a ‘traitor’ for not getting in touch post his (Sheen) departure from the show. He said, “That was wrong. I whaled on him unnecessarily.” Sheen added, “He was trying to keep the sh-t together, trying to cover my a**, pick up the slack. He just got caught in the crossfire. He’s a beautiful man and a f*cking fabulous dude and I miss him. I need to repair that relationship, and I will. I will reach out and do whatever is necessary.”

John Mayer: Two years after revealing ‘a little too much’ about his ex-girlfriends, Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston, John Mayer realised that sometimes, it’s best to remain guarded. “I had nothing to say. I was going through a time in my life where I didn’t really want to share what was going on, but I didn’t want to be boring,” he said on a talk show. “When you’re just open, but not honest, then you start free-associating garbage. It doesn’t mean I can go back and scrub it out, but I understand it now,” he added. The singer told a magazine about how he never really got over his break-up with Aniston, calling it the “worst time” of his life. About Simpson he had said, “Yeah, that girl is like crack cocaine to me. Sexually, it was crazy. It was like napalm, sexual napalm.”

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