Pamela Anderson has had her fair share of headline-grabbing romances and tumultuous marriages, but the 57-year-old Baywatch icon has finally come to terms with being alone. Pamela, who was named Glamour’s 2024 Global Woman of the Year, used her moment in the spotlight to reflect on her relationship history and admitted that the last 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 isn’t easy. “The last few years…it’s been an effort to just stay on my own and figure out what I love, what I like, what I want to do,” she confessed to Glamor. “I’m definitely a lot 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 defined by her high-profile relationships for decades. But after years of heartache and very public breakups, Pamela appears to be embarking on a new chapter – one in which her identity is no longer tied 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.

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The couple married just four days after meeting in Mexico and their relationship was a whirlwind of passion, chaos and controversy. Together they had two sons – Brandon, now 27, and Dylan, 26 – but their marriage collapsed amid allegations of abuse and an infamous sex tape that made them a media sensation.

“Divorcing Tommy was the hardest, deepest, most difficult point in my life,” Pamela wrote in her memoir, describing the harrowing moments that led her to finally end her marriage in 1998.

“I was devastated. I still couldn’t believe that the person I loved most was capable of what happened that night. We were both devastated, but I had to protect my babies.” Lee was arrested and served six months in prison for aggravated spousal abuse after Pamela claimed he attacked her while she was holding their son Brandon.

Despite the traumatic ending, Pamela was always open to the complexities of her love. Today, the two still maintain a warm relationship for the sake of their children, and Tommy has since moved on and married actress and Vine star Brittany Furlan in 2019.

From then on, Pamela’s romantic life seemed to turn into a series of short but dramatic relationships. Her marriage to rapper Kid Rock in 2006 lasted a few months before ending in a bitter separation.

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, their relationship ended in acrimony when Pamela filed for divorce and later marriage filed a restraining order against Rick.

In a shocking twist, Rick made a series of disturbing allegations against her, calling her a “serial baby murderer” in legal documents – claims she categorically denied and described as malicious lies. It was a dark chapter that Pamela desperately wanted to close. She emerged stronger but undeniably scarred by the experience.

“People think I target bad guys, but I don’t target bad boys. Bad boys were after me!” Pamela joked during her interview, addressing the long-standing perception that she’s drawn to turbulent romances. With a knowing smile, she added, “It’s not like I ever asked for this.”

Just when it seemed her love life couldn’t get any messier, Pamela made headlines again in 2020 when she secretly married a Hollywood producer

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But the surprises didn’t end there. Before fans could catch their breath, Pamela announced that she was head over heels in love with her bodyguard Dan Hayhurst. The couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at their home on Vancouver Island in December 2020, but the love story happened almost as quickly as it began. In January 2022, they quietly called off the marriage, marking another failed marriage for the star.

Looking back, Pamela described her relationship with Dan as a “pandemic romance” and admitted they rushed each other during the loneliness of lockdown. “He’s the guy I would have met if I hadn’t been traveling the world and going crazy,” she joked at the time. But as restrictions eased and life returned to normal, the reality of their differences became clear.

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Despite all this, Pamela has managed to maintain her sense of humor and, remarkably, her optimism. Now that her love life is on hold, she is using the time to focus on herself. “For the first time, I live only for myself,” she said. “I don’t know what’s next, but I’m finally okay with it.”

Her candid words were accompanied by a stunning photo shoot for Glamour, where Pamela flaunted her natural beauty, posing without any trace of make-up and wearing only 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, indicating that she’s happy with being single and no longer feels the need to jump into a new 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 proves that reinvention is always possible, no matter how turbulent the past. She raises her two sons, Brandon and Dylan, both of whom have achieved success in the entertainment world, and continues to advocate for causes close to her heart, from animal rights to environmental activism.

“I’m definitely a lot happier now,” she repeated, her smile beaming through every word. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m finally happy with this.”