Cameron Diaz | Benji Madden and Raddix | Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden | Source: Getty Images instagram.com/benjaminmadden
By 2014, Cameron Diaz still didn't have any children despite being clear that she wanted them. She and her husband tried over the years to become parents, and after getting help, it finally happened.
Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden tied the knot on January 5, 2015, at her Beverly Hills, California home. The "Annie" star's ceremony was planned by Stefanie Cove and Yifat Oren, with a Jewish wedding set up inside Cameron's house.
At the time of the wedding, the actress was 42 while the groom was 35. The event was attended by around 100 guests, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Lionel Richie, Samantha Ronson, Toni Collette, Judd Apatow, Nancy Juvonen, Robin Antin, and Leslie Mann.
Today, Cameron and Benji are celebrating their eighth wedding anniversary. The couple have often expressed how happy they are together and that they embrace every day together with their little family. The couple place much of their focus on their daughter, Raddix.
Cameron and Benji are parents to a two-year-old and Cameron even retired from her career in acting to become a full-time wife and mother. The couple also do not share any photos of their daughter's face online to protect her privacy.
During the pandemic, it was said that the couple stayed at home with their daughter to ensure they were all safe, and they only left the house for absolutely necessary errands. Mostly, they just spent time with their growing daughter.
The couple's surprise wedding came after dating for only eight months. Cameron and Benji met and got to know each other through the actress's friend, Nicole Richie, who happens to be married to the singer's twin brother, Joel Madden.
The couple was together for around four years before announcing the birth of their first child, a baby girl. The pair officially announced their child Raddix's birth on January 3, 2020.
Cameron and her husband made their announcement in a joint post on Instagram to the surprise of their fans, who didn't know they were expecting. They revealed they'd been blessed and happy to start the new decade with the birth of their baby girl.
The couple shared how little Raddix had captured their hearts and completed their family. However, the new parents also explained that they would protect their daughter's privacy by not posting images or sharing more details.
Cameron Thought She Would Have Two Babies by 21
Before having her daughter, in April 2012, Cameron explained her stance on motherhood. The star told InStyle that she didn't have any expectations of becoming a mother and explained she'd never said she didn't want children, it just happened that she still didn't have them then, adding:
“Society definitely puts pressure on women to make them think their lives should go a certain way.”
In May 2012, Cameron confessed to Redbook that she'd honestly thought she would have two children and be married by age 21. At the time, she was trying to emulate her mother, Billie Diaz's life.
The actress's mother got married at a young age to Emilio Diaz, and they had two daughters. However, that dream died when Cameron's modeling career started in her teens and then took off at age 21 when she got to star in "The Mask."
The star said after that happened, she decided that she wasn't going to put a timeline on anything else in her life.
In April 2014, Cameron told The Telegraph that when the point came where she wanted children, she would have them. She noted how the child would come through adoption, a relationship, or as a step-parent if need be.
“I can’t see the future, but one thing I do know is that I’m not childless.”
Diaz Tried Becoming a Mother, but "It Just Hasn't Worked Out"
In July 2014, the star was still single, and she seemed to give up on the idea of having children. Cameron discussed how having children was a lot more work, and one would be responsible for other lives besides their own.
Benji Madden and Cameron Diaz at a basketball game on January 27, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Noel Vasquez/GC Images/Getty Images
The actress noted how having a child was an everyday thing for eighteen years and pretty much forever. She shared that not having a baby made things easier, even though it wasn't an easy decision to make.
The "Charlie's Angels" star explained how she liked protecting others but never found herself drawn to be a mother. She said things were good for her the way they were and she'd done a lot in life, before stating:
“And I don't care anymore."
Surprisingly, Cameron's stance changed when she married the Good Charlotte singer. In January 2018, an Us Weekly source told the publication that the couple "would love to have a baby, and it just hasn't worked out."
The pair allegedly tried acupuncture, supplements, and IVF to conceive, but to no avail. Despite their struggles, the couple's relationship became closer, and Benji was supportive, although he didn't experience what his wife was going through physically.
Benji Madden and Cameron Diaz at House of Harlow 1960 x REVOLVE on June 2, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Donato Sardella/Getty Images
The insider also claimed the couple wasn't limiting their parenthood chances to natural birth. The duo was allegedly open to surrogacy and adoption but refused to give up.
Cameron's Daughter is a Miracle That Made Her Think if Living To 107
When Cameron and Benji finally became parents via surrogate on December 30, 2019, an Us Weekly source close to the actress said the star felt Raddix was "truly a miracle." In August 2020, the actress was interviewed on Naomi Campbell's "No Filter" YouTube series about becoming a mother at 47.
The Avaline founder revealed she was happy being a mother and joked that she wanted to live to be 107 to be there for her daughter. She described having a child at her age as doing it in the second half of her life, before noting:
“Having a family when you're young ... it's like anything when you're young: You do it. But when you're my age and you decide to do it, it's a real choice. You really have to work hard for it.”
In February 2021, during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Quarantined With Bruce," Cameron admitted that being a mother and wife was the most "fulfilling part" of her life. She said she'd waited patiently for this part of her life.
While appearing on Kevin Hart's Peacock talk show, "Hart to Heart," Cameron revealed her life became happier after she retired from acting. She realized she couldn't manage the different aspects of her life while acting.
Ironically, when she quit her Hollywood career, that's when she met her husband and was finally able to welcome her daughter. The "What to Expect When You're Expecting" star has finally found overall happiness.
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