Pamela Anderson recalls being 'Painfully Shy' Posing for 'Playboy'

Pamela Anderson once got shy.

The 55-year-old Baywatch veteran revealed to ET Canada that her "debilitating" shyness as a child was the cause of her first experience posing for Playboy in 1989. She was speaking about her upcoming documentary and memoir.

"I became painfully shy, and the shyness was something that was so debilitating" she explained. "When I was little, I would wear a hat over my head and pull the hole closed, so I could only see out this much.

"I hated the way I looked, I hated everything. I was so shy, and I always thought everybody was pretty, and I just didn't have that confidence or self-confidence," added Anderson.

Pamela Anderson 'let go' of opportunities

She admits that she almost opted not to jump at the opportunity to be on the cover of the Hugh Hefner magazine in October 1989.

"Then I was in Vancouver and Playboy approached me a few times and I said no. Finally, I was in a situation and thought, 'Why not? Let me try this.' Then I got to L.A. and I was horrified," she recalled.

"Then I did my first photo shoot with Playboy… it was the first flash when I opened my eyes and it felt like I was falling off a cliff. It really felt like I was just… allowing, instead of trying to control. And it was my first feeling of freedom," Anderson continued. "Then I was off to the races."

"Of course, it's emotional for me," Anderson says. "It's just all these wonderful memories and hard memories too. But I wanted to go back into those feelings and feel those feelings."