'Pollyanna' Star Hayley Mills Looks Happy on 77th Birthday – She Is a Doting Granny with Her 20-Years-Younger Partner

• Gray-haired Hayley Mills just celebrated her 77th birthday!
• The star from "Pollyanna" and "Summer Magic" now lives a private life as a doting grandma.
• Her partner is younger than her by 20 years, and he stood by her when she had an illness that she kept private.

Hayley Mills found fame at a young age after starring in the immensely popular 1960 film "Pollyanna." The very next year, the British-born actress knocked it out of the park with "The Parent Trap," once more stunning audiences with her acting prowess.

However, Mills was growing up, and the fear of losing her career started to dawn on her just as she reached her teenage years. As she matured, she realized her fame depended on her youthfulness. The actress had no idea where she would fit in as she became a young adult, and growing up under the public's scrutiny didn't make things easier.

Her fear of growing up resulted in a desperate attempt to stay childlike. Mills revealed that she developed bulimia and struggled with the disorder for many years as she grew older. The actress opened up about her childhood and other experiences in a memoir released in 2021 titled "Forever Young."

Although Mills has settled down with Bamji, her dating life wasn't without numerous bumps in the road.

The actress grew up in Hollywood with Walt Disney as a sort of parental figure. She worked and made money. But by the time she was old enough to access her accounts, her government had seized 91% of her earnings as tax after World War II ravaged the British economy. Mills mused:

"I never saw it. I knew it was there and one day I would have it, but it was just sort of a dream, and then one day the dream was gone."

The actress didn't let it get her down, though. Mills kept working, on-screen and on the stage. She managed to work through the stress of being an aging child star and built herself a family with Firduos Bamji, 56, who is 22 years younger than her. These days, she still works but mostly dotes on her grandkids.

Hayley Mills at 77 Is Focused On Her Grandkids after the Difficulties of Motherhood

Although Mills has settled down with Bamji, her dating life wasn't without numerous bumps in the road. She was married to the film producer Ray Boulting, and the couple had one child together, the 50-year-old Crispian Mills. She was also connected with the actor Leigh Lawson, and they also had one son together, the filmmaker Jason Lawson.

The news of her disease came on her 62nd birthday as she was enjoying a peaceful day by the Hudson River.

While her kids grew up, Mills was hard at work. The actress has expressed regret at not being there for her sons as much as she should have been while they were children. Looking back at her life, she wishes she had chosen family over career. She offered others some well-earned wisdom:

"If there's ever any doubt about taking a job or spending time with your children — do the latter. Looking back now — I didn't. I spent too much time away. They've survived, and they're both wonderful men who I'm incredibly proud of, but they didn't have an easy time."

Mills turned 77 on April 18, and the actress commented that she's lucky to be able to spend her golden years with her family. She confessed that she had a second chance with her grandkids, saying, "I'm a much better grandmother than I was as a mother."

Mills confessed that she adores being a grandmother. The actress has three boys from her children and welcomed her first baby girl into the fold in 2018. She commented that having grandkids is like having a small part of her kids in new people.

Like Ricki Lake, Mills is rocking her gray hair. She spent her birthday with the people she loves and gave fans a glance at her special day. She shared a photo of herself waving to the camera on Instagram and captioned it, "Thank you all so much for your sweet and thoughtful birthday wishes! Much love, Hayley xx ❤️."

Her Partner, Who Is 20 Years Younger than Her, Supported Her in a Private Fight against Cancer

When Mills was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, she decided to keep it quiet. The news of her disease came on her 62nd birthday as she was enjoying a peaceful day by the Hudson River. A few days before, she had gone for a routine checkup and didn't expect anything to come from it.

Needless to say, the news entirely disrupted the quiet day she had planned. Mills recalled how a team of doctors did a number of tests to ascertain how far the cancer had spread, and she soon heard it had lodged in both her breasts. They continued with surgery as soon as possible.

She chose to keep the news quiet to avoid a media fiasco and confessed that it was the best thing for her. Mills wanted to handle the disease as quietly as possible, so she only told her immediate family and her long-time partner, Bamji. She recalled they were all incredibly supportive of her choices.

The actress opened up about the treatments she underwent, saying she despised chemotherapy. The treatment made her feel incredibly ill, and the actress commented about her time on chemo, "I could feel it draining me and killing me. I felt I was dying." Instead, Mills opted for alternative treatments.

Although she stressed that the route she had chosen might not work for everyone, she was happy with the results. After an arduous battle with cancer, the actress was finally declared free of the disease, much like actress Jaclyn Smith. She commented that the fight would have been much harder without Bamji and her family.

The actress met Bamji when they worked together on "The King and I." They started their relationship in 1997 and have been together ever since. She shared that they've maintained their partnership of more than two decades through "Respect, being able to fight and get over it. We don't take each other for granted!"

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