Brooke Shields cries during 'saddest drive away' after dropping daughter Rowan off at college
Brooke Shields couldn't hold back the tears as her eldest daughter hit a bittersweet milestone: starting college.
The Suddenly Susan star, 56, helped move daughter Rowan, 18, into her university in North Carolina over the weekend, documenting the experience on Instagram.
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Brooke Shields dropped her eldest daughter Rowan off at university over the weekend. Instagram/Brooke Shields
"My unique and extraordinary baby girl spreading her wings. I love you so. We are so proud of you," she wrote.
The Instagram post included a photo of Shields and her family — husband Chris Henchy, Rowan and her sister Grier, 15 — in Rowan's new dorm room, and footage from around the campus.
Though she's smiling in the photos, it seems Shields let it all out on the drive home, sharing a video of herself in the passenger seat looking overcome with emotion. (Watch the video at the top of the page.)
"My unique and extraordinary baby girl spreading her wings. I love you so. We are so proud of you." Instagram/Brooke Shields
"This was the saddest drive away from anywhere I've ever had to make. But my baby is BEGINNING one of the most important adventures of her life to date…NOW!" she said.
Clearly, she wasn't the only parent to struggle with the heartache of watching their first child leave the nest, with many of Shields' famous friends sharing their own experiences.
"Know how it feels baby sending you and Chris love and also so much love to your beautiful daughter," model Helena Christensen commented.
Shields said leaving Rowan at her new college was "the saddest drive away from anywhere". Instagram/Brooke Shields
"I know that drive. Growing pains. But everyone stronger from it!" Younger star Debi Mazar said.
It's been an emotional few months for Shields, who shared a similarly heartfelt Instagram post when Rowan graduated high school in June.
"My baby girl's graduation and she performed at the celebration," she captioned a series of photos and footage of the event, adding the hashtag 'waterproof mascara'.
Rowan wore Shields' 1998 Golden Globes dress to her prom. Instagram
Shields also posted a photo of Rowan on her prom night, wearing the same red dress her mother wore to the Golden Globe awards in 1998.
"I thought it was a special night when I was nominated for a Golden Globe and wore this dress in 1998, but nothing could have prepared me to see my daughter wearing it to her prom ❤️ proud mama!" she wrote.
