Sharon Stone Once Lost Custody of Eldest Son — a Look Back at Her Legal Drama and Divorce

Actress and producer Sharon Stone, best known as Ginger McKenna in "Casino," lost custody of her first adopted son, Roan, to her ex-husband, Phil Bronstein.

Born in March 1958, Sharon has been involved in the entertainment industry since the 80s when she got roles in "Silver Spoons," "Bay City Blues," an "War and Remembrance."

[Sharon] was hospitalized in September 2001 after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

SHARON STONE'S CAREER

Her career skyrocketed in 1992, though, after she starred opposite Michael Douglas in "Basic Instinct," a part that got her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.

In 1995, Sharon Stone portrayed Ginger McKenna in the highly-acclaimed crime drama "Casino," directed by Martin Scorsese. For her performance, she took home a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Oscar.

Three years after "Casino" was released, she married her second husband, journalist and editor Phil Bronstein, who serves as executive chair of the board for the Center for Investigative Reporting in California.

The couple tried to have children naturally, but Sharon's lupus-related condition made it impossible for her to carry a baby full-term. Sadly, she suffered two miscarriages five months into her pregnancies.

PHIL BRONSTEIN AND SHARON STONE'S ADOPTED SON

Phil and Sharon had already prepared for the worst-case scenario and began an adoption process before the miscarriages took place. Sharon explained:

"The last time I lost the baby, I went into 36 hours of labor. While we were at the hospital, our adoption attorney called. I thought, 'This is such a godsend.'"

Sharon Stone's son, Roan, joined the family in 2000. Unfortunately, her relationship with Phil started to deteriorate shortly after that.

To make matters worse, the actress was hospitalized in September 2001 after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage, one of the many different types of strokes.

SHARON STONE'S STROKE

After going in and out of a coma, doctors performed a seven-hour procedure to repair a torn artery and stop the bleeding. The recovery process was a long and difficult one.

Apart from having short and long-term memory loss, Sharon's lower left leg was numb, she couldn't hear out of her right ear, and the side of her face was falling down.

In 2003, Phil filed for divorce, and even though they were legally separated by 2004, the worst part of the entire process was the custody battle over Roan.

Initially, the boy would fly back and forth between Los Angeles (Sharon's residence) and San Francisco (Phil's home) every three weeks. He even had to attend two different kindergartens.

Unfortunately, the constant changes were too much for the young boy, and he ended up falling behind in school.

As a result, in 2006, Phil and Sharon agreed that Roan would stay primarily with his dad during the school year.

SHARON LOST THE CUSTODY BATTLE

However, she later challenged their agreement, but the court sided with Phil in 2008, giving him primary custody of the boy.

The judge criticized the actress for supposedly "overreacting" to the boy's health issues, refusing to participate in the counseling designed to help him, and refusing to change her lifestyle in favor of her son's needs.

Sharon Stone, who adopted two more kids (Laird in 2005 and Quinn in 2006), revealed that it was probably the darkest time in her life. She confessed that before speaking at philanthropic events, she would pray:

"'God, please help me. I know I have to go out there and raise money. But I've lost my child, I've lost my health, I've lost everything.' I was just broken."

While the situation was difficult for every member of the family, Sharon has a great relationship with her three sons. In fact, Roan made headlines in 2019 after he filed court papers to add his mother's last name, Stone, to his name.

Despite all of the challenges in her life, Sharon Stone is still a well-known Hollywood actress. At the moment, she is expected to appear in the TV show "Ratched" and in some other projects, including "What About Love" and "Here Today."