Brooke Shields had a close and fond relationship with the late President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush, whom she treated like the grandparents she never had. She would always ask for their advice, recalling how the former president would tell her his opinion of the men she dated, giving his playful approval or disapproval.
Shields met the Bushes in the 1980s when she attended the White House for an Easterseals event as a guest. That encounter developed into a close and personal friendship that offered Shields support she had never previously known.
Brooke Shields recalls sitting with George H.W. and Barbara Bush after their home flooded
At the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, Shields was confronted with an emergency. She was going downstairs for a drink when she discovered sea water pouring into the living room. Realizing she had to alert someone, she hesitated before knocking on the door to the Bushes’ bedroom.
She hoped to wake them from slumber and was surprised to find them both wide awake, in their recliner with a dinner tray, fully engrossed in an episode of Law & Order: SVU. Barbara Bush, unfazed by the sudden intrusion, graciously invited her in, turning what could have been an awkward moment into a lighthearted one.
Brooke Shields was not the only person George Bush had a good relationship with
Shields was one of countless people who felt the warmth and graciousness of George and Barbara Bush. The former president was widely renowned for developing strong, long-lasting relationships with people in his life. Besides friendships on a personal level, Bush played a father figure to another President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
Bush also anonymously supported a Philippine child for decades and never sought to publicize his philanthropy. His commitment to service and community, expressed in his Thousand Points of Light campaign, said much about his unwavering faith in the power of small but notable gestures and leaving an indelible imprint on people.