Eva Longoria has insisted that she wouldn’t change anything about the challenging start to her career or her failed marriages, as she ‘loves the path I was on’.
The actress, 50, grew up in Texas and first got the acting bug after winning a talent competition that led her to Los Angeles and being spotted and signed by an agent.
But after deciding to make the move to Hollywood in the 1990s with just six dollars to her name, she struggled to make ends meet and worked as a headhunter for four years to pay the bills.
Eva got her first TV gig with a small part on Beverly Hills, 90210, and another on General Hospital, before landing the role of Isabella Braña on soap opera, The Young and the Restless.
Four years later, she was cast as Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives, which made her a household name across the country.
And despite having to endure a challenging number of years before her big break, she has now insisted: ‘I loved my struggle’, as it helps her appreciate where she is now.
Eva Longoria has insisted that she wouldn’t change anything about the challenging start to her career or her failed marriages, as she ‘loves the path I was on’ (seen last month)
The actress, 50, grew up in Texas and first got the acting bug after winning a talent competition that led her to Los Angeles and being spotted and signed by an agent (seen in 1998)
Four years later, she was cast as Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives (seen 2004), which made her a household name across the country
In a new interview with The Sun, the Flamin’ Hot director said: ‘I loved my struggle, I loved when I moved to Hollywood and had six dollars in my bank account. I love my failures, that’s where you grow and learn.
‘I was in the rat race and I was in auditions, and I was in corporate America and I was in many jobs at one time, and I struggled to pay my rent and I had a student loan and I went through that — and I would never change my experience of hardship or touching every rung of the ladder.
‘I like that because it makes me appreciate this position I am in more now.’
Eva also claims that she wouldn’t change anything in her romantic history either, despite having been through two divorces.
The Only Murders in the Building star is currently married to José Bastón, with whom she shares seven-year-old son Santiago.
However, she was previously married to General Hospital actor Tyler Christopher from 2002 until 2004.
The same year of her split from Tyler, Eva met basketball player Tony Parker, getting engaged two years later and then tying the knot in Paris in July 2007.
However, in 2010 she told her fellow actor and friend Mario Lopez that she had discovered hundreds of text messages from another woman to Tony on his phone.
The Only Murders in the Building star is currently married to José Bastón, with whom she shares seven-year-old son Santiago (seen together in May)
However, she was previously married to General Hospital actor Tyler Christopher from 2002 until 2004 (seen together in 2002)
She filed for divorce in November citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ and after it was finalised in January 2011, she later admitted: ‘I didn’t realize it at the time with Tony, but I had become my own version of a desperate housewife.’
However, she insists that she doesn’t regret her first two marriages and would do them all over again, as she ‘loves the path she was on’.
Eva said: ‘I wouldn’t give my younger self advice. I wouldn’t say, “Don’t marry that guy” or, “Watch that left turn”. I don’t want to correct my mistakes. I love the path I was on, holes and all.’
The Golden Globe nominee and José first began dating in 2013, before going on to tie the knot three years later.
Last year, she revealed the surprising secrets behind their happy marriage, admitting that she doesn’t think of her husband as a ‘best friend’.
Eva noted that something that has always helped their relationship is the fact they ‘don’t compete for attention’.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail in November last year, she gushed: ‘He makes me laugh, and he’s a really good partner, and he supports me in everything I do.
‘I support him in everything he does. We don’t compete for attention or spotlight.’
The same year of her split from Tyler, Eva met basketball player Tony Parker, getting engaged two years later and then tying the knot in Paris in July 2007 (seen in 2005)
She filed for divorce in November citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ and after it was finalised in January 2011, she later admitted: ‘I didn’t realize it at the time with Tony, but I had become my own version of a desperate housewife’ (seen in 2010)
Naturally, the L’Oréal Paris spokesperson’s position in the industry often means that she has to actively remain in the spotlight.
However, her husband shies away from the limelight – to the point where he actually begged the actress to keep him out of her social media posts.
Eva continued: ‘He loves for me to be on the red carpet. It’s one place he hates and he hates it.
‘He hates Instagram. He’s like, “please don’t put me on your Instagram.” That’s why he’s never on my social media. Once a while I try to slip him in there.’
The Beverly Hills outing was a rare one for the couple, as Eva has been spending much of her time overseas.
Not long after last year’s U.S. elections, she made headlines for candid comments about her decision to relocate.
In an interview, the Texas native — who spent ‘my whole adult life’ in Los Angeles — explained that the ‘vibe’ in California had shifted even before COVID-19.
‘And then COVID happened, and it pushed it over the edge. Whether it’s the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to s*** on California — it just feels like this chapter in my life is done now,’ she told Marie Claire.
The Golden Globe nominee and José first began dating in 2013, before going on to tie the knot three years later and last year she revealed the surprising secrets behind their happy marriage (seen in 2015)
A source told Daily Mail that she and José were leaving America to prevent their son Santiago from getting ‘sucked into the whole Hollywood cycle’
The star continued: ‘I’m privileged. I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.’
Her grim appraisal of the US led to a whirlwind of social media speculation that she had decamped to her homes abroad because of Trump.
But in reality, she had already purchased a home in Marbella in 2023, and by April 2024, insiders were confirming her plans to move abroad.
A source told Daily Mail that she and José were leaving America to prevent their son Santiago from getting ‘sucked into the whole Hollywood cycle.’
‘They want to raise their son in a place where he will be surrounded by nature and beauty and not be sucked into the whole Hollywood cycle,’ the insider explained.
‘They are moving to their home in Spain full time and are both so excited about it. She has had everything that she wanted in Hollywood.’
Nevertheless, after rumours continued to swirl that that the second Trump presidency had driven her decision, Eva later publicly shot down the speculation.
Phoning her pal Ana Navarro on The View: Behind the Table podcast, she insisted on setting the record straight.
She asked: ‘Will you please let them know I didn’t move out of Spain because of Trump?’, clarifying that she had ‘been in Europe working for almost three years.’
