Naomi Watts Announces Menopause Book (Exclusive)

Naomi Watts is coming out with a new book — and it’s not your typical celebrity memoir.

Come January, the Mulholland Drive actress, 55, will be on shelves everywhere on the cover of Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known about Menopause, which, as the title suggests, is a guide to menopause — and other aspects of aging.

The book will feature plenty of Watts’ personal story, including tales of her own experience with menopause — plus conversations with friends and experts, and a foreword by Dr. Mary Claire Haver — in an effort to tear down the taboo surrounding the life stage.

“Women have had to suffer in silence and shame for too long about the changes they undergo during menopause, with little access to information, support or even much of an open conversation,” Watts tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“I hope that this book can play a part in making women feel a little less alone, a little more supported, and dare I say, a little more excited about the natural changes that life has in store for us,” she adds.

Dare I Say It is the resource Watts — already a leading voice in menopause awareness — craved when at age 36, she found herself completely caught off guard by menopause symptoms, which typically begin between ages 45 and 55, per the National Institutes of Health.

“Feeling confused, alone and unsupported about this stage of her life, Watts was determined to do better for herself and for other women and began boldly using her platform to normalize conversations about this natural process,” reads a press release about the forthcoming book.

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“I want this book to read like you’re sitting down over coffee and having an intimate chat with your girlfriend,” Watts said, in a statement. “I hope it will be of help for anyone trying to get a hold on this phase of life and make it a time of liberation rather than purely a time of trial.”

“Menopause is a part of a woman’s midlife, but midlife is about far more than menopause,” she added.

Watts also tells PEOPLE that she is “so grateful to everyone who spoke to me for sharing their stories.”

In a message to her future readers, she adds, “I can’t wait for you to hear about the highs and lows and everything in between about this life stage and get some real, practical advice and comfort about how to take on these changes head-on.”

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Dare I Say It is a natural next step for Watts, who founded her menopausal wellness brand, Stripes Beauty, in 2022. Speaking with PEOPLE about the brand earlier this year, the star said, “I know I had shame and fear and doubt. Chances are that a lot of other people are going through the same thing.”

“I had a lot of anxiety in the lead up to creating this business, and then I just felt like, well, every woman is going to get to this point. Why are we not getting better care?” she added at the time. “There’s just a lack of education and research.”

Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I’d Known about Menopause will be published by Crown on Jan. 21, 2025 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.