Candice Bergen on plastic surgery: ‘I’m clearly in need. I just don’t care’

Candice Bergen

Candice Bergen’s new memoir, A Fine Romance, arrives in stores on Tuesday. I previously covered Candice’s candid discussion about her 30 pound weight gain since the end of Murphy Brown. Candice admitted that she didn’t care about her weight because she enjoys food so much. Her statements were fine until she threw a few barbs at her “skinny friends.” My take was that Candice took jabs at women who suffered from ED (because she claimed that her friends all binged and purged). She’s a sarcastic person though, so perhaps some humor got lost in the written word.

Some new excerpts from the book have surfaced. Candice admits her apathy at the thought of having plastic surgery. Mind you, she’s 68 now and freely admits to undergoing cosmetic surgery in the past:

On plastic surgery: “I had my eyes done after the pilot of Murphy Brown when I was 41. And then the next year I had these two [neck] muscles under here done, because TV half-hour lighting can be harsh.”

Would she do it again? “I’m clearly in need. But I frankly just don’t care enough. I don’t even get those shots anymore because it hurts so much!”

More about her friends: “I hate when my very close friends have obvious work done and they come out too early and pretend it’s all fine. You think, ‘Hello, have you looked at yourself? You look over-inflated!’ I’m one of the few who has been honest about it.”

On her tv career: “The job security was incredible. And I never wanted it to end; doing Murphy Brown was insanely fun. I have made a lot of money. Most of this is the incomparable TV Money. Nothing like it.”

She’s “a champion eater”: “No carb is safe – no fat either.”

[From People]

There’s a lot more stuff about food, which seems to be a huge subject of this book. Candice says she’s always been a compulsive eater and, as a child, often ate 6 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in under 10 minutes. That sounds difficult from a logistic standpoint. Peanut butter is tough to chew and swallow in a rush because it sticks to the top of your mouth. Perhaps the sandwiches were mostly bread, but still. That’s a very quick manner of demolishing 6 sandwiches. Candice says she still makes her housekeeper hide the cookies and ice cream so she can’t overeat sweets at night.

Candice recently admitted to Entertainment Weekly that she didn’t expect people to notice her previous quotes about weight. She doesn’t see anything negative about loving food, and she stands by her point that some women “go too far in the other direction.” Candice also doesn’t understand social media or how things go viral on the internet: “I frankly think that people who do follow social media need to get more of a life.

On the plastic surgery stuff, I think Candice’s outlook is a healthy one. She’s had some procedures and doesn’t want to get any more work. But again, she’s calling out her “close friends.” What will these ladies think after they read Candice’s memoir?

Candice Bergen

Candice Bergen

Photos courtesy of WENN

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46 Responses to “Candice Bergen on plastic surgery: ‘I’m clearly in need. I just don’t care’”

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  1. lisa2 says:

    I actually think she looks great.. she has a good figure and her skin looks wonderful.

    I loved Murphy Brown.. hope it comes on in syndication so I can watch it again.

  2. Anastasia says:

    She cracks me up. That’s all.

    • Snazzy says:

      Haha I know me too

    • NewWester says:

      If Hollywood ever decided to be crazy enough to do a reboot of “The Golden Girls” the only way it would work is if Candace was cast to play Dorothy. I could easily see her throwing out those great one liners

    • ISO says:

      The headline! When I hit 40 I did everything. The aftermath? It hurt. It was expensive. The downtime was torture because I’m active. Never again. One major renovation now 10yrs later I don’t care. I’d rather age than look like Madam Puppet 🙂

  3. Sugar says:

    She’s had surgery more recently than she’s saying.

    It makes sense that she’s a compulsive eater. She’s talked about how Charlie McCarthy was more important to her dad than she, so her overeating might be about nurturance.

    • denisemich says:

      She had filler not surgery in the last few years I believe that is what she means by shots.

    • BooBooLaRue says:

      yup was thinking just the same. I have always had a girl crush on CB! She’s wonderful.

  4. Size Does Matter says:

    Oh, Candice, come on. There are only so many places the ice cream could possibly be hidden.

  5. cannibell says:

    Guessing that her close friends aren’t surprised – or upset. I’m sure it’s not news to them.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      Given what she says about being direct, they probably have all heard it before.

    • Fritanga says:

      Right. She says quite clearly that she expressed her opinions about their plastic surgery to their faces. This lady pulls no punches.

      I remember when she had “refreshing” in her Murphy Brown years – whoever did the work was a master, it was so subtle. And that’s the key word: subtlety. She’s talking about the friends who have had so much plastic surgery they look as if they’ve gone through wind tunnels, and they’re not fooling anyone. Not everyone owns their tightly-pulled faces the way Joan Rivers did.

    • Lisa says:

      I’d rather have people, friends or not, tell me their honest opinions than be fake-nice. I’d certainly prefer they express them kindly — i.e., not “you look terrible,” but “It looks to me like you need to let that settle a while longer” or even “I think your doc was a little heavy handed” wouldn’t bother me.

  6. Talie says:

    If Diane gets work done, it’s damn good work.

    • snowflake says:

      i think she has, and yes it looks great!

    • meme says:

      Diane has had plenty of work done and a number of years ago she looked terrible because of it. I guess it’s all “settled” now (as they say) and she looks fabulous.

  7. Esmom says:

    She’s a bit of an odd bird in the midst of the Hollywood set, it’s kinda refreshing. But she does seem to be a bit overly fixated on food, in a different way than my typical “foodie” friends are. It’s probably the Hollywood influence, I’m guessing?

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Just a guess, but maybe she had to starve herself for so long that now she’s like a kid in a candy store?

  8. Tracy says:

    She hardly threw her personal friends under any bus. No names were mentioned and she’s only pointing out something everyone notices. She’s aces.

  9. msw says:

    I love her IDGAFness.

  10. Chrissy says:

    I love her and her as Murphy Brown. She has nothing to prove and just doesn’t give a hoot. She’s lived in the non-reality that is Hollywood all her life and doesn’t take herself too seriously. We need more celebrities like her IMO.

  11. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    Good Lord, when I’m 68, I surely won’t put my body through plastic surgery. I think that’s smart of her.

  12. Judyk says:

    Love that she’s real and not plastic.

  13. minx says:

    If she thinks she’s “in need” we might as well all pack it in. She looks beautiful.

  14. HoustonGrl says:

    I think any woman that models has, at some point, been obsessed with food (or a lack of it). I’m not surprised she has an unhealthy relationship with it.

  15. AlmondJoy says:

    Nope. Mrs.Bergen is aging beautifully and doesn’t need any surgery. I really don’t think surgery is necessary for anybody. So sick of seeing these stiff plasticky faces that show no expression. My grandmother is simply gorgeous with laugh lines and soft skin and beautiful eyes. She’s had a wonderful life.

  16. Candace, you’re lookin good, but the black pantsuit is way too harsh.

  17. prissa says:

    I agree with all the comments saying she looks great. And NORMAL. So often celebs get that weird plastic surgery and end up looking unrecognizable compared to their former selves (Madonna). Also they end up looking strangely alike.

    IMHO She’s going about it the right way

    • hmmm says:

      Too true! She could have ended up looking like Charlie McCarthy or Mortimer Snerd!

      She is an intelligent and self-possessed breath of fresh air. I would love to chow down with her. I bet you her feasts are to die for.

  18. Lisa says:

    Haha, I think she looks great, though.

  19. RobN says:

    I’d think that if you’re friends with Candace Bergen, one of the things you like about her is her frankness. I shouldn’t think anybody is too hurt by her comments; I’d guess she says the same thing right to your face.

  20. paranormalgirl says:

    I have a friend who worked with Candice Bergen. She said she was so funny and so sarcastic and so honest. I, too, would imagine her friends wouldn’t be surprised by anything she said.

  21. tabasco says:

    Practically everybody you know having plastic surgery, injections, on and on – and by 41! – what a strange, strange world. I don’t understand the desire of some to be famous/be a Hollywood person. It seems like it sucks. Except the zillion dollar paychecks. I’ll take one of those please!

  22. kitty-bye says:

    She looks amazing! Miss her!

  23. Bob Loblaw says:

    She’s great and she looks fantastic to me, a little extra weight suits her, she’s still a beauty. I love her personality and humor and it’s refreshing to read about a woman aging without too much hysteria over what she sees in the mirror.