Donna Mills Turns 82, She Raised Her Child Alone after Being Criticized for Becoming a Mom at 54

“Knots Landing” star Donna Mills turns 82 today.

She became a single mom at 54 and took an 18-year acting hiatus to raise her daughter.

The actress found love at 60 with “M*A*S*H” actor Larry Gilman.

Donna Mills is famous for her role in “Knots Landing,” but is even better known to her family for her role as a mother. When she became a mother, she made a big decision that affected her career.

Mills took an 18-year-long break from acting to focus her attention on raising her daughter. Her youthful good looks are impressive, but she has always prided herself on being a great mother.

Mills turns 82 today and still looks relatively young. Last week she posted a video on Instagram showing the “Behind The Scenes” footage of a photoshoot she did for a magazine spread. She also shared the makeup and hair process.

The video showed her sitting on a bar stool, in a knitted sweater, smiling at the camera as she posed. She sported a blonde, shoulder-length hairdo. The comments on the video were from adoring fans.

The comments section of the post was flooded with comments saying that Mills looked incredible and that she looked no different from when she starred in “Knots Landing.” One commenter wondered if anyone would age better than she.

How Did Mills Become a Mother at 54?

Mills has often talked about how she became a mother later in life and what it meant to her to finally welcome a child as a single mother. She once said:

“I was single, I was 54, and I wanted to be a mother very badly.”

The actress decided that if she wanted to become a mother, she would adopt a child. She admitted that deciding to adopt her daughter at 54 was not difficult by any means because she felt a calling to be a mother.

For the first couple of years, it was easy for Mills to work and raise her daughter, Chloe. Mills would take her daughter with her wherever she went while she was still young, so she could still have a career.

While many doubted Mills’ ability to have a child at her age, Mills said that she felt like being a mother was beautiful. She mused:

“I truly believe she was meant to come to me; she was meant to be my child.”

Mills adopted her daughter when she was four days old, and she said that before adopting her, she had been highly focused on her career. However, she finally realized she had a successful career but was missing something.

There were many doubts when she told family and friends that she would be adopting her daughter. She said: “By that time, I was 54, and people said, ‘You’re going to be so old to have a toddler running around.’ I never felt that.”

Mills said that she thought having a child later in life was better than having a child early. She mentioned that she and her daughter, now 28, have an excellent relationship and talk almost daily.

What Life Does Donna Mills Live at 82?

Mills has been in a relationship with Larry Gilman for many years. The couple met when Mills was 60. She said she had a history of being with “bad boys” but knew that when she met him, she had gotten lucky.

Aside from her relationship keeping her happy, she has said that eating healthy and exercising often is the key to staying so youthful-looking. She said she eats a balanced diet, exercises regularly, and takes care of her skin.