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Has Jennifer Aniston abandoned her stroke-stricken mother?

Nancy Dow and Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston was nowhere to be seen when her once-estranged mother was discharged from hospital last week after a life threatening health scare.

Jen’s mum, Nancy Dow, 75, was admitted to Los Angeles hospital a month ago after suffering a brain seizure. At the time a source told the Daily Mirror that “…Nancy is desperately ill, and it is no exaggeration to say people fear the very worst.”

Jennifer was quick to arrive at her mother’s side for a hospital visit with new boyfriend Justin Theroux back in September, which she reportedly found very distressing, not helped by her mother’s inability to speak at the time, brought on by the stroke.

The emotional bedside reunion was thought to be a step forward in the mother and daughter’s fractured relationship, but since then Jen has been living it up — photographed on numerous occasions looking loved-up and carefree with Justin in New York. Meanwhile her mother has started on her slow, arduous recovery.

Furthermore, when Nancy left hospital last week it was with the aid of carers, not her family, who escorted the visibly weak and struggling 75-year-old to a pharmacy and then back home to her apartment in North Hollywood.

She could only manage a strained, “I’m okay” when asked how she was feeling, reported the Daily Mail.

Jennifer and Nancy were previously estranged for 12 years following an appearance by Nancy on a TV show where she talked about her daughter and then later wrote a book entitled, From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (1999) about their problems, which led to her not receiving an invite to Jen’s wedding to Brad Pitt in 2000.

Nancy, who had Jennifer with actor John Aniston in 1969, divorced John in 1980. Jennifer has revealed that it was her own divorce from Brad in 2005 that prompted her to reach out to her mother for reconciliation.

Jennifer has described the progress of her new relationship with her mother as “baby steps”, saying “It’s good. It’s okay. Things are now fine between us. All of that is over, and we’re in touch with one another. We speak and it’s all over.”

It remains to be seen whether their relationship has progressed to a point where Jennifer will take an active role in assisting in her mum’s continued recovery.

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