Pamela Anderson explains why she'll never wear makeup again after heartbreaking event

Pamela Anderson has explained the heartfelt reason why she doesn't really wear makeup these days.

The Baywatch star has been an icon of fashion and beauty for decades, but in a recent interview with Elle, she revealed that she'd been ditching the makeup.

She said it had been 'freeing and fun, and a little rebellious too' to leave it behind as she looks forward to the adventure of getting older.

Anderson said she'd noticed 'all these people doing big makeup looks' and felt as though it was 'just like me to go against the grain and do the opposite what everyone’s doing'.

She added that people 'all start looking a little funny when we get older' but she was able to 'kind of laugh at herself' when she saw her reflection in the mirror and felt like she was 'in a good place'.

However, there was a much more significant reason why she has decided to leave the makeup behind and it's connected to the sad death of her makeup artist, Alexis Vogel, who died of breast cancer in 2019.

"She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup," Anderson said.

Anderson and Vogel first worked together when Pamela was doing a shoot for Playboy magazine and they often worked together after that - with Vogel being responsible for creating the star's signature smoky-eyed look.

"I’d rather show my freckles. It’s fun getting old. It’s a relief. At a certain age we look younger and fresher without makeup." she added.

"This is me - I’m happy with who I am right now. It's a new world and I’m very grateful for all of the love."

In February this year, Anderson appeared on the cover of WWD makeup-free and she has been making more appearances without any makeup.

She also told Elle that earlier on in her career, she 'just went along with what people were telling me what to do' and wasn't allowed much input on how she looked.

While Baywatch made Pamela Anderson famous all around the world, her son Brandon Thomas Lee revealed earlier this year that she actually doesn't make a lot of money from residuals from it.

It's quite the hot topic around Hollywood at the moment, given the significant strike action which has seen writers and actors walk out in protest at the big studios and streaming services.

Plenty of actors have been raising the issue of how little they make off the residual earnings of things they were in and a few months ago, Anderson's son revealed what his mother made from Baywatch residuals.

Describing it as 'a crime', Brandon said his mom made less than $4,000 a year from the hugely successful show.