10 things I learned reading Gwyneth's biography.

"I would rather die than let my kid eat Cup-a-Soup.”

I went on holidays with Gwyneth Paltrow last week.

Gwyneth’s gorgeous noggin accompanied us to beaches, airports and restaurants all around Greece. She became the fourth member of our group and I must say, she was an excellent travel companion. All 360 pages of her.

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Amy Odell, author of Anna: The Biography about Vogue editor Anna Wintour, has a habit of taking on tricky subjects who are well-versed in closing off their world to prying journalists.

Odell spoke to more than 220 sources for this biography. However, her most sought after subject, Gwynny herself, did not participate. Gwyneth’s inner circle apparently have iron-clad NDAs in place, so the chapters on Paltrow’s early life are juicier than the recent years.

To save you the trouble, here are 10 things I learned about GP in the book (yes, that’s what those of us in the know call her):

1. It’s “Gwyn” like “pin”, not “Gwen” like “pen”. Keep this in mind for when you meet her because she will correct you. (Her parking spot at the LA Goop office is marked “Reserved for G-Spot”.)

2. Gwyneth was a nepo baby long before that term was invented. Her mother is “WASPy, sometimes anxious” Tony Award-winning actress Blythe Danner and her father was “brash, sometimes narcissistic” Hollywood producer Bruce Paltrow. She was incredibly close to her parents and they helped her choose “well-written, tasteful roles” in her early career.

3. Gwyneth was a pack-a-day smoker in her teens and twenties. She loved it. (Moral of the story: if Gwyneth can go on to become a dry-brushing, vitamin IV loving wellness guru, there’s truly nothing you can’t do!)

4. She has “used ozone therapy…rectally.” Yup.

5. Harvey Weinstein was instrumental in Gwyneth’s early career. The two of them worked side-by-side for years while she was at Miramax and he “relentlessly” campaigned for her to win that Best Actress Oscar.

6. Ralph Lauren’s team had no idea Gwyneth would wear the famous carnation pink gown to the 1999 Oscars until she stepped onto the red carpet. She also chose not to wear the inner corset on the night which meant the dress looked too big. Ralph Lauren “was not happy about the fit”.

7. Gwyneth says it was “love at first sight” with Brad Pitt and that Ben Affleck was “technically excellent” in bed. Odell’s sources also say that Gwyneth may have (allegedly!) cheated on Brad with her co-star John Hannah while filming Sliding Doors.

8. Goop arrived on the scene long before celebrities were hitching their wagon to brands. It started as a newsletter written from Gwyneth’s kitchen table in London, where she’d recommend the best new restaurants in Paris or recipes for banana muffins or yoga studios in LA. Bring back those days!

9. The infamous name ‘Apple’ may not actually have been a Gwyneth and Chris Martin invention. Three years before she was pregnant with her daughter, Gwyneth spent time at the home of director Peter Farrelly and his wife who had a daughter named Apple. This has never been mentioned in the lore of the name.

10. Gwyneth is in on the joke. She is savvy as hell. The PR masterclass of Gwyneth acting as a “temporary spokesperson” for Astronomer following the Coldplay cheating scandal tells you everything you need to know about this woman. She is very aware of her brand and, as of 2025, mostly in control of it.

All in all, the book is a fun read and truly makes you realise the impact (good, bad and bonkers) that Gwyneth has had on culture since the 90s. I think this quote from Odell sums things up best:

“As it stands now, Gwyneth will probably be remembered less for her film work than the longevity of her fame and what she chose to do with it outside of Hollywood. Her greatest cultural impact isn’t popularizing Calvin Klein fashion or jade eggs or “I lost a half a day of skiing” T-shirts - it’s showing the world just how much consumers will spend and how much effort they would undertake for the luxury of being well, no matter what science tells us.”