Cameron Diaz shares honest insight into family life with Benji Madden after welcoming second child

If you missed seeing Cameron Diaz on the big screen, you have in part her husband Benji Madden to thank for her upcoming comeback.

The There’s Something About Mary actress largely retired from acting a decade ago, after the release of her last movie, Annie, which also starred Jamie Foxx.

Now, ahead of her comeback with her first movie in ten years, and her third with the Django Unchained actor, Back in Action, she is opening up about why she retreated from the spotlight for ten years, and how her husband encouraged her to step back on set.

Speaking at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit earlier this week, Cameron reflected on how her ten-year retirement awarded her the time she needed to build her family with Benji, who she married in 2015, and with whom she shares daughter Raddix, four, and son Cardinal, born earlier this year.

“We were in the house for a long time, which was amazing,” she said, before noting she “had to push” herself to step back into acting.

She then shared: “My husband, he’s just the best. He was just like, ‘You’ve been supporting us and building the family.’ And supporting him in his businesses. He’s like, ‘It’s time for us to support you and let mommy ascend and do her do her thing.'”

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Further detailing her time off, she went on: “It felt like the right thing for me to reclaim my own life, and I just really didn’t care about anything else […] Nobody’s opinion, nobody’s success, no one’s offer, no one’s anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and building the life that I really wanted to have.”

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She maintained: “I think it really comes to what are you passionate about? For me it was to build my family.”

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Cameron also gushed about how Jamie was the perfect partner once she was ready for a comeback. “I couldn’t say no to Jamie,” she said, and recalled: “He said, ‘Come with me.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ It’s our third film together.”

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Cameron and Benji welcomed their second child, also via surrogacy, in the spring, and shared the news for the first time in March.

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In a surprise announcement on Instagram, they wrote: “We are blessed and excited to announce the birth of our Son, Cardinal Madden. He is awesome and We are all so happy he is here!”

They added: “For the kids safety and privacy we won’t be posting any pictures — but he’s really cute. We are feeling so blessed and grateful. Sending much love from our fam to yours. Best wishes and Good Afternoon!!”