Lindsay Lohan Says Fame Gave Her ‘Extreme’ PTSD, Vows to Protect Son Luai From Spotlight

Lindsay Lohan is reflecting on how the stardom has affected her life — and how it now influences her as a parent.

In an interview with The Sunday Times published on Saturday, August 2, the former child star, 39, got candid about growing up in the public eye in the early 2000s, and how she would never want her husband or son to go through what she endured.

“I don’t ever want my family to experience being chased by the paparazzi the way I was,” she told the outlet. They were terrifying moments I had in my life — I have PTSD to the extreme from those things.”

“The most invasive situations. Really scary,” she admitted. “And I pray stuff like that never comes back. It’s not safe. It’s not fair.”

The Freaky Friday actress was hounded by paparazzi in her youth and relocated to Dubai in 2014. She married financier Bader Shammas in 2022, and the couple shares a 2-year-old son, Luai.

While times have changed, the Parent Trap star said it’s “scary” and “uncomfortable” how people constantly have their phones pointed at her.

“I’d rather someone just ask if they can take a photo or else you get cautious of every move you make,” she remarked.

Lohan explained that she and Shammas are navigating how they want to protect Luai’s privacy.

“It’s something my husband and I discuss all the time. Do we want to show our son?” she told the publication. “We will know when the time might be right, but it’s also a protection.”

However, Lohan said that social media has changed the landscape of fame for the better.

“I feel that it doesn’t happen as badly now as it did,” she admitted. “It was way worse when I was younger, but now, because of social media, people can tell their own story in the way that you want it to be told. It has reclaimed the ownership of your life.”

“We didn’t have that and so, no, I don’t think anybody chose that life, but what I have learnt over time is how to separate my private life and public life, and that was difficult for me because nobody ever teaches you how to do that,” she added.

In June, a source told Star that Lohan has “built a cozy, snug, safe life,” with her husband and son, noting “her family is her top priority.”

“Bader has provided her with the love and stability she always wanted and needed,” the source shared.