In a strange sort of way Jennette McCurdy’s mother, Debra, is getting what she’d always dreamed of: fame. Never mind that the title of her daughter’s memoir is the brilliantly punchy I’m Glad My Mom Died, or that it details Debra’s controlling and abusive ways. “She’d be like: ‘My name’s on a No 1 New York Times bestseller!’” says McCurdy, laughing. “But not recognising: ‘Mom, I don’t know if people are loving you, exactly.’”
McCurdy is a child star who walked away from her career in her early 20s, something she could only do because of her mother’s death. Since McCurdy was six years old, Debra had shaped and controlled her, turning McCurdy into a successful actor; she was on the hit show iCarly, on the US children’s channel Nickelodeon, and its spin-off Sam & Cat. Every aspect of McCurdy’s life was micromanaged, from who she was allowed to see to what she ate; the restricted diet led to eating disorders. Debra would even wash McCurdy in the shower until she was 16, and touch her vagina and breasts (Debra had been diagnosed with breast cancer when McCurdy was two, and said she was checking for lumps), and shave her legs.
