Gwyneth Paltrow on wellness, celebrity menopause criticism, and the famous vagina candle: ‘My instincts were right’
Gwyneth Paltrow has told Sky News she feels a sense of “satisfaction” in knowing her “instincts were right” regarding her move to becoming a pioneer of wellness, before it became the trillion-dollar industry it is today.
The Hollywood A-lister and Oscar winner, who has largely left acting behind after setting up her lifestyle business Goop, has faced some criticism and raised eyebrows about some aspects of the brand, including jade “yoni” vaginal eggs and guides to everything from detoxing to yawning.
However, since she launched in 2008, the wellness industry has become big business.
Paltrow launched Goop in 2008. Pic: Reuters
Speaking to Sky News’ The UK Tonight in a UK exclusive interview, when asked how she feels looking back at some of the criticism she has received, Paltrow said: “I think it’s actually funny at this point, you know, when I look back and I think about how mean people were about a number of things.
“We always just talked about things early. I think there is maybe a satisfaction, to know that, not to be glib, but just to know that I was on to something, my instincts were right. And I think it’s reaffirming, for myself, and going forward… if I really believe in something and I think it’s interesting and I think people might want to know about it, I’m happy to share about it.”
‘You can sit in a meeting, but get the benefits from meditation’
Paltrow, 51, is now launching a new mindfulness app, Moments Of Space, which aims to teach an “eyes-open” approach to meditating. “I like to say it’s for people who think they’re too busy to meditate, or their minds are too active to meditate,” she said.
“What you essentially do, you’re kind of led through a guided meditation where you start to explore with a very softened gaze, the space – the negative space around you, the positive space around you, and you’re able to sit in a meeting and listen, but kind of get the benefits from meditation.”
Another health issue Paltrow has spoken out about is the menopause, with other celebrities such as Davina McCall in the UK and Naomi Watts in the US trying to encourage people to be more open about it.
Davina McCall is campaigning to educate people more about menopause. Pic: Reuters
However, in a paper on the subject published earlier this month experts, including from the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and King’s College London, said the stage of life is not a disease and is being “over-medicalised”.
Commenting on the paper, Rachel Weiss, founder of the Menopause Cafe charity, said the pendulum had swung from “‘put up and shut up’ about menopause to sensationalising”, and that there was a danger of hearing too much about “celebrity horror stories”.
Paltrow told Sky News: “I think that’s, quite frankly, really reductive and disrespectful. I think menopause has always been a very difficult thing to pass through… for me, that’s like a relic of the patriarchy, you know, trying to silence women and that therefore keeps them out of their power.
“But if we all come together and say, this is happening, let’s share information, this is nothing to be ashamed of, that’s where you see progress.”
Paltrow won the best actress Oscar for her performance in Shakespeare In Love in 1999. Pic: Reuters
‘I thought, this is crazy. I’m not dumb’
Speaking about making the leap from actress to businesswoman, Paltrow said the one thing she would want other women to take from her experiences would be “not being afraid to ask questions”.
She continued: “When I was starting, I was so aware of everything I didn’t know and it made me feel self-conscious and insecure. I wish I had asked questions with more frequency earlier. There was a period of time, when I started learning about e-commerce and operating an e-commerce business, I would have to Google under the table certain acronyms and stuff.
“One day I just thought, like, this is crazy. I’m not dumb, I just don’t know yet. I just haven’t learned. So I gave myself permission to really ask questions. And there’s a vulnerability in that. But I think asking questions is the fastest way to learn and succeed.”
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‘I have a spicy sense of humour’: Paltrow on viral vagina candle
Paltrow also commented on one of Goop’s most famous former products – the This Smells Like My Vagina candle – saying: “I have a very spicy sense of humour, which those who know me well know.
“That candle was really about me being tired of women having shame around their bodies and the sort of very misogynistic framework that a lot of culture operates in. And so we just thought it would be kind of punk rock and funny, having no idea it would become the viral candle that it did.”
When it comes to social media, Paltrow admitted she can find navigating it “difficult” and that some platforms can be “incredibly anxiety-provoking”.
However, she recognises it’s importance for connecting with people – and when she does post, she says she isn’t afraid to speak her mind.
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“I can’t fake it,” she said. “If I’m going to go on there, I’m going to be myself and I’m going to be honest. That’s me, for better or worse. I think I’m a very authentic person, one way or the other. So, you know, that’s my style.”
Finally, with roles for women in Hollywood becoming more varied and more considered in recent years, Paltrow commented on a potential return to the big screen.
“You know, I’m about to embark on a different phase of life, my son is going to university in the Fall, so, you know, things can shift and change. With my job as CEO at Goop, it takes up all of my time. But who knows? I’m not actively pursuing it. I am very busy with my day job, but I’ve learned enough not to say never.”
Watch our full interview with Gwyneth Paltrow on The UK Tonight on Sky News at 8pm
Entertainment
BBC director general’s resignation ‘regrettable’ but he was ‘right to do so’ – culture committee chair
The resignation of the BBC’s director general was “regrettable” but he was “right to do so”, the chair of parliament’s culture committee has told Sky News.
Dame Caroline Dinenage said she was not expecting the resignations of Tim Davie and the chief executive of BBC News Deborah Turness, which they announced on Sunday evening.
She told Mornings with Ridge and Frost: “I think it’s really regrettable that Tim Davie had to step down – huge commitment to the BBC and public service broadcasting.
“But I think he was right to do so. I think restoring trust in the corporation has got to come first.”
BBC latest: Outgoing BBC News boss rejects ‘institutional bias’
Dame Caroline, who will chair a culture, media and sport committee meeting on Tuesday where the issue will be discussed, said the BBC was “very slow to react” to a leaked report by Michael Prescott, an independent adviser to the BBC’s editorial guidelines and standards board.
The dossier, sent to the BBC board and leaked to The Daily Telegraph, accused a Panorama special on Donald Trump, released a week before the 2024 US election, of being “neither balanced nor impartial – it seemed to be taking a distinctly anti-Trump stance”.
Tim Davie resigned on Sunday evening. Pic: PA
He also said the programme had spliced two clips from separate parts of Mr Trump’s speech to his supporters on 6 January 2021, the day of the Capitol Hill riots, to give the “impression that Trump had incited protesters to storm Capital Hill”.
Mr Prescott also raised bias concerns about the BBC’s coverage of trans issues and the war in Gaza.
Dame Caroline accused the BBC of failing to take his report seriously “until it was too late”.
Ms Turness arrived at the BBC’s central London headquarters on Monday morning, where she admitted “mistakes are made” but said there is “no institutional bias”.
She defended the BBC’s journalists, saying “of course” they are not corrupt and they “strive for impartiality”.
Read more:
The BBC controversies faced by Tim Davie during his time in charge
Politics Hub – latest updates
Outgoing BBC News boss Deborah Turness spoke to media on Monday. Pic: PA
Dame Caroline said the situation “has to influence the BBC charter decisions”.
The BBC’s Royal Charter outlines the corporation’s mission, public purposes and governance, along with specific obligations and how it is funded.
It is up for renewal in 2027, with the government currently carrying out a review to determine the BBC’s future, including its funding model and mission.
Dame Caroline said the last review, 10 years before, put integrity as the BBC’s top missions.
She added: “I think the charter has to look at how the BBC retains its balance and its integrity, how it retains the trust of the British people and the licence fee payer, because, you know, that’s absolutely fundamental for the future of the BBC.
“But actually it reflects upon us as a nation, because the BBC is such a well known and such a well respected brand around the world.”
BBC chair Samir Shah is expected to apologise in a letter to Dame Caroline’s committee later today.
Michael Prescott’s leaked memo raising concerns over BBC impartiality has brought down two of its top bosses.
US President Donald Trump has swiftly weighed in to brand the corporation “corrupt” and “dishonest”.
With the BBC now in crisis, who is the man who started it all?
Michael Prescott
An ex-journalist, Michael Prescott was an independent adviser to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Board for three years before leaving in June.
Studying at Oxford, he worked for 17 years as a journalist, with a decade spent working at the Sunday Times, initially as chief political correspondent before rising to political editor.
No stranger to showbiz, he has previously advised high-net-worth individuals and Hollywood stars on sensitive disputes and had a regular spot on Michael Parkinson’s weekly Radio 2 show, Parkinson’s Sunday Supplement, giving the newspaper review.
BBC chairman expected to apologise to MPs – follow latest
Mr Prescott has also worked in a series of corporate advisory roles – as corporate affairs director for BT, where he helped launch BT Sport and was part of the telecoms company’s merger with EE.
Ahead of that, he was managing director of corporate communications and public affairs at global PR company Weber Shandwick, where he advised organisations including Virgin Media, Balfour Beatty, British Nuclear Fuels, MasterCard, IKEA, air traffic control body NATS and numerous universities.
He currently holds roles at Hanover Communications, an international communications and PR agency.
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Ridge and Frost analysis on what’s next for BBC
Mr Prescott is also a member of the government’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, offering independent advice to the Prime Minister, among others.
What did his memo say?
Mr Prescott has said he wrote a memo in “despair at inaction by the BBC Executive when issues come to light”.
He went on: “On no other occasion in my professional life have I witnessed what I did at the BBC with regard to how management dealt with (or failed to deal with) serious recurrent problems.”
Read more: Tim Davie and Deborah Turness’s resignation letters in full
His memo also raised concerns about other areas of BBC output – including coverage of trans issues, and the war in Gaza.
This memo was later leaked to The Telegraph, leading to the crisis at the top of the BBC, resulting in two resignations.
Who else is involved?
Tim Davie. Pic: PA
Tim Davie
Ex-BBC boss Tim Davie had earned himself the nickname Teflon Tim due to his staying power through numerous controversies. But now it seems he’s seen one controversy too far.
Previously vice-president for marketing and franchise for drinks giant PepsiCo Europe, he was made CBE in 2018 for services to international trade.
Joining the BBC in 2005, he rose to the top position of director-general in 15 years.
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Why ‘Teflon Tim’ resigned from BBC
Controversies he previously weathered include former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker’s 2023 brief suspension, Gregg Wallace’s sacking and Bob Vylan’s 2025 Glastonbury set.
Earlier this year, the breaching of the BBC’s Broadcasting Code over documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone dented the corporation’s reputation further, followed by the edit of Donald Trump’s 6 January 2021 speech in flagship show Panorama – which has offered the decisive blow.
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Watch: Outgoing BBC News CEO rejects claims of bias
Deborah Turness
A linguist, Deborah Turness studied in Surrey, followed by a postgraduate diploma in journalism in France, at the University of Bordeaux.
She became chief executive of BBC news and current affairs in September 2022, previously working as CEO of ITN.
Before that was president of NBC News International, the global arm of American news network NBC News.
Prior to joining NBC News, she was editor of ITV News, where she was their first female editor and the youngest ever editor of ITV News.
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What did the BBC do to anger Trump?
What has Donald Trump got to do with it?
Mr Davie’s and Ms Turness’s resignations come off the back of internal concerns over the edit of a Donald Trump speech in an episode of the BBC’s Panorama programme.
The concerns regard clips spliced together of the US president’s speech on January 6, 2021.
That was the day of the storming of the Capitol building in Washington by Trump supporters who believed the 2020 election had been stolen by Joe Biden.
The edit was part of the documentary Trump: A Second Chance?, which was broadcast by the BBC before last year’s US elections.
Responding to the resignations, Mr Trump posted a lengthy statement on Truth Social.
“The TOP people in the BBC, including TIM DAVIE, the BOSS, are all quitting/FIRED, because they were caught “doctoring” my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th,” he wrote.
“Thank you to The Telegraph for exposing these Corrupt ‘Journalists.’ These are very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election. On top of everything else, they are from a Foreign Country, one that many consider our Number One Ally. What a terrible thing for Democracy!”
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