Courteney Cox On Marriage & Motherhood
Courteney Cox seems to have it all - a loving husband, stunning looks and her dream career. But reports of a miscarriage could shatter that happiness.
There are no guarantees of happiness - even if you're a highly-paid actress who appears to have the perfect life. Reports that Courteney Cox has had a miscarriage are a reminder of this. Just weeks ago Courteney said how much she was looking forward to "settling down and raising a brood of happy, yabbering kids" but now she and husband David Arquette are said to be devastated at their loss.
Having kids has always been important to Courteney and she was so fixated on the idea of being a mother that - at the age of 35, with her "old biological clock ticking" - she even considered going it alone and having a baby by herself, like Jodie Foster. But that was before she met, fell in love with and subsequently married her Scream co-star David Arquette.
"David was the last man on Earth I'd expected to wind up living happily ever after with," says Courteney. "He's such a unique character that I can't imagine being happy with anyone else. He's the sweetest, kindest man I know. I'd definitely be lost without him."
But despite such glowing testimonials, the Arquettes had already received a tough time of it from the press over supposed relationship problems before American gossip columnist Liz Smith broke the story of the miscarriage earlier this month. Before that there had been reports that Courteney and David - always an unlikely couple as far as most people were concerned - were at each others throats, with plenty of shouting, slamming of doors and packing of suitcases.
"We've been reported to be sleeping in separate bedrooms and I've apparently thrown him out of the house now, going on four or five times... I've lost count," said Courteney, making light of the rumours. " The truth is, it's hard enough as a regular couple to make a marriage work and it's a bit harder for those in the limelight. The viciousness and the lies are something neither of us expected. David and I are actually very happy and we definitely sleep together. Although he does snore terribly."
Rather than introduce drama into their lives, the marriage has, in fact, calmed both of them down considerably and has even been credited with weaning the formerly "out there" Arquette off drink and drugs. What now emerges is the story that the "reformation" of Arquette was brought about specifically by the couple's desire to have children.
"I've mellowed out a lot since we've been together," says David, who fell in love with Courteney at a party before shooting on Scream started. "And since we've been married I feel like I've reached another stage of serenity."
"I think it's dangerous when you meet someone and try and change them," says Courteney, referring to Arquette's wilder days. "But David and I have changed in the time we've been together because we wanted to change for our own personal reasons, rather than making some sort of sacrifice for one another. That's something he's done for himself and not for me. We now have an understanding that we will live a drug-free life, which is the only way we would want to bring a new life into this world. It's what both of us want. On our honeymoon, we discussed and reaffirmed a lot of those things and we share the same belief systems."
Part of that shared belief system is obviously the desire to have a large family and since he straightened himself out and they made those honeymoon commitments to each other, Courteney reckons that David is perfect father material.
"David is going to make an amazing dad," Courteney has said. "He's really into having a family. We both come from big families, which is one of the many things we have in common. We both love kids and it's not going to be long before we have our own. Babies are part of our future. I couldn't imagine my future without them."
"I really have the ideal life," continues Courteney. "I'm on a hit show, do movies that make money and I'm married to the most wonderful guy in the whole world." The reported miscarriage goes to show that the ideal life is never a certainty - whoever you are.