Jennifer Aniston rushed to be by her mother's hospital bedside after the 75-year-old suffered a stroke over the weekend, the MailOnline can reveal. Nancy Dow, a former model, is understood to have been in a serious condition at a Los Angeles medical centre. Aniston's boyfriend Justin Theroux accompanied the former Friends star to the hospital, but a source says he waited outside.
There were grave fears for her elderly mother, who is thought to be unable to speak. A distraught Jennifer, who was pictured with Justin in Beverly Hills on Saturday, was in tears during the visit. A neighbour at Nancy's modest North Hollywood apartment block told Mail Online: 'She's in the hospital. She's fabulous, a very nice lady. She's also very private. The neighbour was not aware of any prior health problems. Jennifer and her mother were estranged for more than a decade after Nancy gave a television interview about their relationship in 1996.
Jennifer called her afterwards in a rage and allegedly told her: 'I'll never forgive you. Never.' Her mother later wrote a revealing book, From Mother And Daughter To Friends: A Memoir, about their problems, absolving herself from blame. In 2001, Jennifer said: 'This is my last chunk of disease in my life - my mom.' She did not invite Nancy to her 2000 wedding to Brad Pitt, which she described as a 'tortuous decision'.
Her mother brought her up alone after her actor father John Aniston walked out on the family when Jennifer was nine. They finally ended their bitter rift in 2008. Jennifer discussed the reconciliation in 2009, telling the New York Post: 'It's good. It's OK. Things are now fine between us. All of that is over, and we're in touch with one another. We speak, and it's all over.'A spokesperson for Aniston declined to comment today, telling Mail Online: 'This is a private family matter.'