The actress also opens up about fears she had in her '20s and why she feels at peace at age 43.
Charlize Theron is feeling "at peace."
The Long Shot star glows on the cover of Marie Claire's June issue, rockin' a bikini top, sweater and earrings by Dior. Inside the magazine, the actress gets candid about everything from motherhood to what she's learned about herself in therapy.
"My 20s were like, 'You can die, so get it done.' I always felt like there was a clock ticking, like everything was life and death, and I'm not a citizen, so if I don't make it [it's over]," the actress, who was born in South Africa, explains. "I didn't discover therapy until my mid-30s. My reasons for going had a lot to do with South Africa and uncertainty and living with an alcoholic every day of my life."
"What I discovered was that my life was an all-encompassing thing," she continues. "It showed me that I can see the big picture and understand the reason to get to a place where I could create a life for my own kids."
Theron is a single mother to two children, August, 3, and Jackson, 7, whom she loves dearly. "I love being a mom," she gushes. "I get up with them at 5:30 a.m. every day. I make them breakfast. I pack their lunches."
"On the weekends, we hang out with family and friends," she adds. "I'll cook lasagna for them -- or steak. We do a lot of grilling. We go to Medieval Times."
Now, at 43, Theron says she finally feels at "peace" with everything, thanks to everything she experienced in her earlier years.
"My 20s were really about getting a lot of stuff out of my system -- wanting to experience the world, do drugs, travel to Turkey for four months with a backpack… and I did all of that, so by the time I had kids, I was really ready," she says. "You don’t want to be 80 and on your death bed and wonder what might have happened. If I die tomorrow, I'm at peace with who I am in my life."
Theron also revealed earlier this week on The Howard Stern Show that she's currently dating after telling ET that she was "shockingly" single.
"I am dating, yes," she told Stern. "No, I'm not in love. Why is that crazy?"
"I want to be clear... is everybody listening?" she joked. "I was raising two small children, and your life just becomes very all-consuming. They need you for everything. And I'm a single mom, I have one nanny. So, it's not like I have a ton of help, and I really wanted to be a mom, so I was enjoying it."
Hear more in the video below.
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