Despite Earning $140M, Cameron Diaz Still Cooks for the Family with Food from Her Garden & Cleans the Whole House

Cameron Diaz is an excellent example of a successful woman, having earned millions from her acting career. She has achieved the fame many dream about, but this great woman enjoys living a simple life.

Cameron Diaz is a name many movie fans know. She has appeared in countless films, including her debut film, "The Mask" and "My Best Friend's Wedding," where she played opposite Julia Roberts.

The talented woman was born in San Diego, California, on August 30, 1972, to a Cuban American father and a German mother. Known for her piercing blue eyes and blonde hair, she started her career at age 16 when she landed a modeling contract with Elite Model Management.

From then, she appeared in Calvin Klein and Levi's advertisements. She was also featured on the cover of several magazines in 1990. It was the start of her career which would morph into acting.

Diaz's net worth is valued at around $140 million, most of which was made from hit movies she starred in. Some of them include: "Bad Teacher," which earned her $42 million, "Shrek" ($3 million), and "Shrek 2" ($10 million). At her peak, she became the third highest-grossing actress in the world.

Outside acting, she also co-founded the makeup line L'Oreal in 1994 and has written two books, including "The Body Look: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body," which she released in 2014.

In 2017, she also released her second book, "The Longevity Book: The Science of Ageing, the Biology of Strength, and the Promise of Health at Every Age."

Despite how great her career was going, Diaz chose to take a step back from acting in 2014, the same year she met Benji Madden, the man who would become her husband. They dated for seven months before marrying at Diaz's Beverly Hills Home.

Her retirement from the spotlight was not easily taken. A source close to the star revealed in 2018 that Diaz gets a lot of scripts trying to tempt her out of retirement, but she is simply not interested. Earlier that year, it was reported that she said she was more interested in starting a family than living as an actress. A source said:

"Cameron hasn't wanted to work. She is enjoying being at home and being a housewife; she would love more than anything to be a mom."

In 2018, she had yet to welcome a child with Madden and had desperately hoped for one. It was one of the things she was focused on, and as long as she had her husband, nothing else mattered to her, especially her career.

She also once confessed to cleaning the handles of her LA home so often that the paint chipped off and washing her hands multiple times daily.

Diaz and Madden's prayers were answered in 2019 when they welcomed a daughter they named Raddix via surrogate. In an interview with Kelly Clarkson, the doting mother confessed she enjoys spending time with her daughter and wants to focus on her and her husband. She added:

"I think because I am an older parent... and I really worked hard to get a child... I'm very fortunate to have been able to take the time to do it and be there with her. That's the hugest blessing."

Diaz said she loves being a parent and that it is the best thing she has ever done. The iconic actress even added that she has a checklist to help her stay on track.

Cameron Diaz Loves to Cook

Since she left acting behind, Diaz has been cultivating her home-making skills, and like everything she does, she found success in that too. The actress has expressed happiness at being able to do things a full housewife does. She said:

"I'm either cooking, cleaning or taking care of my baby – and usually all at the same time."

Her daily routine includes most of what she mentioned above. After a good day, she prepares to cook dinner while her husband puts their child to bed. She has described him as a great father who makes her feel lucky.

Aside from her chores as a wife and mother, Diaz has also adopted many hobbies, including gardening. In fact, most of what this multitalented lady cooks comes directly from her garden, located in her backyard.

In 2021, fans saw glimpses of the garden when she joined her comedian friend Benito Skinner on a backyard tour while promoting her wine brand, Avaline. The garden was beautiful and cozy, with comfy furniture, a small pond, and a concrete pathway.

These days the former actress has become famous for the amazing content she puts on her Instagram page. She posts less often than her fans want, but when she does, it is usually a fun one promoting her wine brand, one that sees her chopping off cork bottles with a knife, and cooking videos that see her demonstrate her culinary abilities.

She Loves to Clean Too

Aside from her love for cooking and gardening, another house chore that Diaz takes seriously is cleaning. In truth, she seems to take cleaning to an extreme level.

Diaz has described the process of cleaning as a life-changing experience for her. She has also admitted that she enjoys cleaning because it helps clear her mind. She explained:

"It's so crazy, but I just find that cleaning out my house changes my life. You come home, clean it out, and all of a sudden, you're free from this burden that's been sitting in the back of your consciousness."

Diaz's fixation on cleaning has something to do with the fact that she has OCD. In her case, it makes her deathly scared of germs and surfaces that could be present. In fact, in the past, she once struggled to open door knobs with her elbows because she was afraid of catching something.

She also confessed to cleaning the handles of her LA home so often that the paint chipped off and she would wash her hands multiple times daily. These days, her OCD has reduced, but she still derives pleasure in cleaning her home.