Penelope Cruz is finally learning to drive at the age of 52 after being given car by U2 star Bono.
Penelope Cruz is finally going to learn to drive
The Hollywood actress has revealed she’s never taken to the road because she has a “very deep fear of driving” but she’s now promised to have a go at passing her test after her pal Bono bought her a very expensive present.
During an appearance on the Hot Ones YouTube show, Penelope explained: “My friend Bono gave me a car for my last birthday … How crazy that sounds, but he gave me a car and I think that is like the ultimate push to do it [learn to drive].
“After you get a car from Bono you don’t get your licence? How crazy is that? So now I’m thinking about it again, but it’s such a deep fear. Every time I get in a car, I feel like: ‘Okay, here we go. Are we going to make it or not?'”
Penelope added she thinks her fear of driving is actually a phobia because being in a car for even short amounts of time gives her anxiety.
She said: “I think there is a name for that. They came up with a name recently because there are a lot of people like me.”
The actress previously revealing her fear may stem from an incident in her childhood when she saw her sister Monica being hit by a car. Monica went on to make a full recovery, but the memory of the accident still haunts Penelope.
She told ELLE magazine in a 2024 interview: “I have a fear of driving. My sister was run over by a car in front of me when I was eight or nine.
“I remember she was wearing a red coat … And for me, time stopped. It’s a great trauma, because I saw her losing consciousness. And I was numb in the hospital, telling people: ‘Oh, my sister just got run over by a car’.”
Penelope’s husband Javier Bardem has also confessed he doesn’t drive either. During an appearance at the premiere of racing movie F1 last year, he confessed to PEOPLE: “It’s funny having in mind that neither of us drive.
“She doesn’t drive. I barely know how to drive … I dunno where it comes from.”
