Creator and star of the popular comedy movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding Nia Vardalos has written a book about her and her husband’s struggle with infertility, called Instant Mom.
The actress said she wrote the book because she wanted to “blow the lid off the silent failure” that many women feel about infertility.
Vardalos said that was ashamed about her inability to conceive for years.
“It was a 10 year struggle for my husband and me but when our daughter walked into our lives, we got 14 hours notice. I was literally an instant mum.
“The biggest mistake I made was buying a white sofa the day before,” she jokes.
Vardalos was a keen advocate of foster parenting and adoption before adopting her daughter, and said that she also wants people to know about how important the adoption is for so many people.
“Of course, it directly affects the lives of the new parents and the child, but there’s an awful lot of compassionate work from social workers and adoption attorneys who do so much good work.”
But she says the book isn’t ‘just’ about adoption or motherhood.
“I wrote this book in the same way I wrote My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I simply sat alone and poured my guts out into a computer keyboard, not caring how it would be received, not letting my mind wander into worrying what people would think of me.
“I didn't show it to anyone until it was printed, so it would be too late to make changes. I wanted to write unfettered by critique and concern on how it would be received or what it would do to my image. It's the most honest I've ever been, and yes, I'm petrified. But I write in the prologue that if something scares me, I tend to lean into it. I'm not brave. I'm more of a fearless idiot.”
Vardalos says she has also been approached to do a sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
“I am finally coming around to the idea of doing it because (co-star) John Corbett and I hung out recently, singing and playing guitars until 3am.
“In that moment of clarity that only comes with too much wine and the haze of approaching dawn, I suddenly visualized where Toula and Ian end up. I saw their world very clearly. Toula and Ian's life is very similar to the easy and solid friendship I felt with John that night. But with less guitars.”
Instant Mom is published by Harper Collins.
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