Maureen McCormick will always be known as Marcia Brady to us. In actuality, the beautiful, fun-loving character that every girl wanted to be like was struggling with some serious issues that would lead to drug addiction, bulimia, depression, paranoia, two abortions and a whole host of other problems. At 52 years old, Maureen is talking about her struggles and how she’s dealing with it all. Her tell-all book, Here’s the Story, was released this week.
In her book, McCormick talks about her addiction to cocaine and how it even led her to use sex to get drugs. Like most addicted women, McCormick had co-occurring mental health issues. In a Today Show interview with Meredith Viera, she talks about her grandmother dying of syphilis while in a mental institution and her grandfather committing suicide the next week. Her mother also had syphilis, and her father cheated on her mother. McCormick grew up thinking she had syphilis, even though she did not, and that she would end up in an institution.
It’s funny to hear the media talk about Maureen McCormick’s story as if she still is Marcia Brady. Who would believe that Marcia Brady would trade sex for cocaine? But it was the character of Marcia Brady that made it so hard for McCormick to live up to. Today, McCormick says she is surprised that she’s still alive, but she has made peace with Marcia Brady. She also says that you have to ask for help to get better. Her story shows that it doesn’t matter how old you are, how privileged you are or how perfect your life may seem, addiction has no boundaries.
See the full interview with Maureen McCormick on Today or read the transcript
