Andie MacDowell wakes up one morning with some health condition after concluding that she needed a hip replacement.
Andie MacDowell, who fans remember from her starring roles in *Groundhog Day* and *Bad Girls,* is embracing her empty-nester life, all the challenges and triumphs alike. On January 23, 2025, during her appearance on *The Drew Barrymore Show, the 66-year-old actress looked back on her road to independence and also spoke about her newly revealed health developments as she promoted the third season of her Hallmark series, *The Way Home*.
MacDowell said it’s taken her time to adjust to life on her own. Her daughter, actress Margaret Qualley, once delivered a candid message that inspired change.
“Margaret basically told me I needed to get a life,” MacDowell said. “She was right. I figured it out, but it took me a while.”
She reported that she is now living in a community within her home state of South Carolina, with age-peers for easier socialization. However, though she loves exercising, exercising excessively caused her so much physical distress that she said she felt as though her body was “falling apart.”
“I was riding my Peloton like a crazy person,” she said. “It wasn’t appropriate for my body. I ended up with bad knees and a bad hip. I thought I’d need replacements, but thankfully, my pieces are fine—just aging. Now I’m working hard in physical therapy, and I’m not falling apart anymore.”
MacDowell also opened up about her experience with piriformis syndrome, a condition where the piriformis muscle in the buttocks compresses the sciatic nerve, often causing sciatica-like symptoms.
“I thought I needed a hip replacement,” she said. “But my hips are fine. It was the piriformis muscle clamping down on my sciatic nerve, shooting pain down my leg. Now, I work on strengthening my hips and glutes every day. It’s a miracle—it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, piriformis syndrome is related to the fact that the sciatic nerve is close to the piriformis muscle, which connects the lower spine to the upper leg. This closeness can cause discomfort when issues arise.
MacDowell has been vocal about the importance of representation for women her age, particularly in the entertainment industry. Speaking at a Television Critics Association panel last year, she highlighted the challenges women face as they age.
“People my age often thank me because I’m still representing them. We get left out a lot,” she said. “Women in their 50s and 60s struggle because society doesn’t elevate us the way it does men. But where I am now, I don’t have to struggle to be myself.”
For MacDowell, freedom in her 60s has enabled her to live and enjoy her life and career fully, proving that age is no barrier to reinvention and growth.
