Whether you see her as the queen of clean or the patron saint of pseudoscience, Gwyneth Paltrow has remained one of the most talked-about – albeit polarising – women in Hollywood for over three decades. Now, a new biography by Amy Odell is promising to unpack her public image, private life and billion-dollar wellness brand in forensic detail.
Gwyneth: The Biography, written by journalist, cultural critic and author of fashion’s favourite Substack, Amy Odell, is out August 5 in Australia. And if the pre-release excerpts are anything to go by, this is no celebrity puff piece. Informed by over 215 interviews with the actress-turned-wellness entrepreneur’s inner circle, its pages are already shaping up to be one of the most unfiltered accounts of her life yet.
From ex-boyfriends and ex-friends to jade eggs and press feuds, here’s what to expect when the book finally hits stands, here.
When Is Gwyneth: The Biography Out in Australia?
The book will be released in Australia on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, just days after it makes its U.S. debut on July 29.
However, if you’re keen to get your hands on a copy before they (inevitably) sell out, pre-orders are already open through all major bookstores.
Is It Authorised By Gwyneth?
While it might not be authorised like Odell’s previous biography on Anna Wintour, the soon-to-be-released novel has been produced with exclusive access to hundreds of sources close to the actress.
Per the book’s synopsis: “She has participated in hundreds of carefully managed interviews, but the real Gwyneth – her unrelatability, privilege, motives, strengths and faults – has never been fully revealed until now.”
Although she might not have participated in the project, she’s reportedly not opposed to it, with sources close to Paltrow revealing to Us Weekly that she “isn’t too bothered.”
“Gwyneth’s been in the Hollywood game for a long time and so has a thick skin,” the insider shared. “This book isn’t a big deal for her.”
What Does The Book Say About Brad Pitt?
Odell’s pre-release excerpts delve deep into Paltrow’s high-profile engagement to Brad Pitt in the ’90s, including a particularly poignant moment when Paltrow recalled the pair’s incompatibility.
“He was brought up very religious, in Missouri,” says Odell. “It’s just a very different world from hers, growing up in Manhattan, going to Spence, I think she thought he wasn’t sophisticated enough for her. She thought she was smarter, better educated, more sophisticated.”
Paltrow herself has previously expressed a similar sentiment, nothing in a past interview: “Brad and I have very different upbringings,” she recalled. “So when we go to restaurants and order caviar, I have to say to Brad ‘This is beluga and this is osetra.'”
Despite Brad being adored by her friends and father, Paltrow eventually broke off the engagement, talking about the time in a 2023 episode of Call Her Daddy where she spoke about the heartbreak it caused.
“It was the right thing at that time, but it was really hard,” Paltrow explained. “There were a number of things that had happened, he was nine years older than me — he knew what he wanted, he was ready to do it and I was kind of all over the place.”
Ben Affleck & That “Sex Act”
One of the most headline-grabbing moments from the early excerpts comes courtesy of a conversation Paltrow once had with the late makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin – recounted by Odell in Gwyneth and shared in excruciating detail by Page Six prior to its release.
According to the section of the biography, Paltrow described an intimate act she particularly enjoyed when dating Ben Affleck. The specifics are very much NSFW – so if you’d rather skip this bit, feel free to move ahead. But if you can’t wait until August 5, then we’ll leave you to fill in the blanks from the following: “She told Kevyn Aucoin in his London hotel room one day after lunch that she loved when Affleck ‘tea-b****d’ her.”
Paltrow and Affleck were in an on-again, off-again relationship between 1997 to 2000, after the pair starred alongside each other in the Academy Award-winning film, Shakespeare in Love, which saw Paltrow win her first Oscar for Best Actress.
“Their physical chemistry couldn’t overcome his self-destructive impulses, which may have even included cheating on her,” Odell writes in the extract obtained by Page Six, explaining that the couple began dating when Affleck was “struggling with alcoholism and a gambling problem.”
Did Gwyneth Paltrow Steal A Script From Winona Ryder?
According to an extract shared by People magazine, Odell dives into the long-standing rumour that Paltrow “stole” the script for Shakespeare In Love from Winona Ryder.
“It was never sent to Winona as an offer, but Winona wanted to do the part and Gwyneth had recommended her for the part,” said [producer Harvey] Weinstein. After a story about Gwyneth allegedly stealing the script from Winona’s coffee table reached the media, Gwyneth told friends that Ryder had started the rumor, and insisted she’d received the script through her agent. Shakespeare in Love opened on December 11 to ravishing reviews.”
Paltrow Ended Her Friendship With Madonna
Odell’s biography also sheds light on the much-rumoured rift between Gwyneth and Madonna. According to sources in the book, their friendship imploded during a heated dinner party on a private island – sparked by a pointed exchange that occurred after an unplanned group trip.
“Their relationship reached a breaking point when Madonna showed up to an island where Gwyneth and [Chris] Martin were vacationing. Madonna seemed to know that Gwyneth would be there, which Gwyneth seemed to find strange, a friend remembered,” the excerpt read.
“Madonna then insisted Gwyneth and Martin join her for a big group dinner at a long table where Madonna went off on her daughter, Lourdes. Gwyneth and Martin were disgusted by the behavior. ‘I can’t be around this woman anymore,’ Martin told Gwyneth. ‘She’s awful.’:
According to Odell, Gwyneth agreed that “Madonna was toxic and ended the friendship.”
Gwyneth: The Biography by Amy Odell is available for pre-order now from all good bookstores.
Related articles:
- Every Eyebrow-Raising Moment Of Wit & Wisdom By The Queen Of Wellness, Gwyneth Paltrow
- Gwyneth Paltrow Shares How She Felt Seeing Her Ex Ben Affleck Marry Jennifer Lopez
- Gwyneth Paltrow’s Most Iconic Fashion Moments
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