Jennie Garth Says Love for Luke Perry Led to 'Trust and Intimacy' Issues

Jennie Garth didn't admit she was in love with Luke Perry until years after their Beverly Hills, 90210 days.

"The truth is, he was my first love. I never said it publicly. I never even really admitted it to myself until later. But it's true," Garth, 54, wrote in her I Choose Me memoir. "I had never loved someone like I loved Luke, in that way you love someone when you're young and unsure and everything feels enormous."

Garth also called their relationship "intense and unfinished" in the book, which hit shelves on Tuesday, April 14.

"We met when I was 18, and from the beginning there was this chemistry and flirtation between us," she continued. "As our characters became romantically intertwined, there were many, many scenes that required us to be kissing, hugging, close together. I was acting, of course, until I wasn't."

Perry was rushed to the hospital in March 2019 after suffering a stroke. He died days later at age 52.

Garth wrote that she was "in a state of shock" when hearing about Perry's death.

"No words would come out of my mouth. My whole body went cold, like the blood had drained out of me in an instant," she recalled. "My chest tightened, and I couldn't catch my breath - it was as if the air had been sucked out of the car. The word NO kept ricochetting in my mind like a wrecking ball. I went numb."

Even now, Garth has a difficult time discussing his death.

"I still don't really understand the effect our complicated relationship had on me," the actress explained. "Luke occupies a sacred, private spot in my heart, and I don't talk about him or the grief I carry over his death - not because it's not there, but because it's brutally private."

I Choose Me is out now.

Copyright 2026 Us Weekly. All rights reserved

This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 3:15 AM.