Stars out of water: Celebs who can't swim

Oprah Winfrey - Of course she found deep wisdom in learning to go with the flow of water. "This I've known forever is the great metaphor of life," she wrote the Huffington Post. "Move with the flow. Don't fight the current. Resist nothing. Let life carry you. Don't try to carry it. Sometimes we just have to be reminded. A swim lesson did it for me."

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Carmen Electra - You may remember Carmen Electra from 'Baywatch,' a show about lifeguards who help people on the beach, including those who might be drowning. It turns out you would be in sore luck if Electra was on duty, because she can't swim.

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Carmen Electra -

She is actually afraid of the water—pools, lakes and oceans alike—and she once confessed that even being near a body of water can provoke a panic attack.

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Sandra Bullock - It's said that Sandra Bullock doesn't know how to swim as she grew afraid of the water after falling into a lake and cutting her head on a rock, but she's since learned to scuba dive, reportedly with the help of her role in 'The Proposal' where she had to be in the water for hours.

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Snoop Dogg - The rapper famously can't swim, and he even wrote a song about it in 2000 called 'I Can't Swim.' It features the lyrics, "I hate water. I never learned to swim, put me down! let go of my leg! I hate water! I can't swim!"

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Eva Mendes - In 2011, Eva Mendes bought a house with a large swimming pool, but she doesn't go in it. She's never learned to swim, and she's developed a fear of deep ends.

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Eva Mendes - Mendes has admitted, "I can't swim. I don't know how to. I'm pathetic. I should know how to swim," but she is reportedly keen to learn.

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Will Smith - The actor who seems like he's not afraid of anything has admitted in the past that he can't swim, that he's had a lifelong fear of the ocean, and that he'll only go in the water if his feet can touch the bottom.

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Will Smith - That all changed, however, when he recently learned to scuba dive and made a video about it called 'Facing My BIGGEST Fear.'

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Miranda Lambert - The country star doesn't swim, though she says she likes to look at the ocean—just from a safe, dry distance.

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Marilyn Monroe -

Despite spending so much time on the beach and in swimsuits, the blonde bombshell never actually learned how to swim!

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Marilyn Monroe - While filming the unfinished 1962 film 'Something's Gotta Give,' George Cukor was directing her where to go in a pool scene and she yelled, "I can't swim, you know!"

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Christina Ricci - The actress suffers from a specific type of swimming phobia—selachophobia, or the fear of sharks. The ocean obviously terrifies her, but she should be able to swim in pools, right? Wrong!

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Christina Ricci - The actress once said in an interview, "I won't swim in a pool by myself, because I think that somehow a little magic door is going to open up and let a shark out."

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Zayn Malik - Zayn suffers from aquaphobia, meaning he's scared of water and also can't swim. But that didn't stop him buying a house with an indoor pool!

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Natalie Wood - The famous 'West Side Story' and 'Rebel Without a Cause' actress had a life that revolved around water, as she met her husband on a boat and even got married on a yacht. She also had a large pool in her yard, but she still never learned to swim!

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Natalie Wood - Tragically, she ended up drowning one night while on a small dinghy with her husband. While perhaps learning to swim may have saved her, Wood's death remains a mystery, since there were many bruises found on her body and witnesses say they heard yelling from the boat.

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Taylor Swift - It's said that Swift never learned to swim because she was afraid, and her best friend (and competitive swimmer) Abigail Anderson told the Lawrence Journal World in 2009, "I've actually never seen her in a swimming pool, now that I think about it … I've never seen her swim, I don't think I ever will."

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Liam Gallagher - Lead singer of Oasis Liam Gallagher confessed that he "can't swim" during a celebrity edition of 'Gogglebox.' "When it gets deep I start flapping about like a mad salmon. I even struggle having a shower," he joked. Looks like he won't be indulging in any oases himself.

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Chloë Grace Moretz - In a 2016 appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' to talk about her upcoming role in the live-action version of 'Little Mermaid,' the then-18-year-old actress admitted, rather ironically, "I can't really swim!" She suggested an alternative plot: " Maybe that's the new story—a mermaid who learns to swim!"

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Chloë Grace Moretz -

Unfortunately, the star dropped out of the role, explaining that she was actually pulling out from all of her roles so that she could slow down, reassess who she is, and be more selective about her roles. It's a shame because her desire to be with land-dwellers would have made for a convincing Ariel!

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John Legend - While it seems like there’s nothing Legend can’t do, the singer confessed on January 28, 2019 "I can't really swim. Today I took my first swim lesson since I was like 5. My dad learned in his 60's so I feel like I'm ahead of schedule."

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John Legend -

He admitted that his kids had already started swimming before him. But it’s not all bad—he’s getting lessons from Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte!

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John Legend -

As Vice aptly points out, Legend's confession, and dedication to learn, is important in addressing the pervasive stereotype that black people can't swim (born from years of discrimination) which, though joked about, puts lives at risk.

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Chrissy Teigen -

Teigen, the second half of Legend's dream relationship, told People in 2016 that they're making an effort to teach their kids to swim to give them opportunities they didn't have when they were younger. "I have no fear of water. John has no fear of water. Or animals, or sharks or what have you. We just didn't have water in our face when we were growing up," she said.

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Chrissy Teigen -

When Olympic swimmers and fans alike replied to Legend's tweet, offering lessons and applauding him for continuing to learn later in life, Teigen jokingly tweeted in response, "Wow so y'all just gonna let me die."

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Rihanna -

She may have been born in the Caribbean surrounded by water, but the R&B singer doesn't step foot in the water. It's a peculiar fear that's holding her back...

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Oprah Winfrey - Up until 2011, Oprah Winfrey could not swim and she was afraid of the water. She signed up for swimming lessons that year, but it remains unclear whether or not she can swim now.

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Carmen Electra -

She is actually afraid of the water—pools, lakes and oceans alike—and she once confessed that even being near a body of water can provoke a panic attack.

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Eva Mendes - In 2011, Eva Mendes bought a house with a large swimming pool, but she doesn't go in it. She's never learned to swim, and she's developed a fear of deep ends.

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Eva Mendes - Mendes has admitted, "I can't swim. I don't know how to. I'm pathetic. I should know how to swim," but she is reportedly keen to learn.

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Will Smith - That all changed, however, when he recently learned to scuba dive and made a video about it called 'Facing My BIGGEST Fear.'

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Miranda Lambert - The country star doesn't swim, though she says she likes to look at the ocean—just from a safe, dry distance.

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Marilyn Monroe -

Despite spending so much time on the beach and in swimsuits, the blonde bombshell never actually learned how to swim!

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Marilyn Monroe - While filming the unfinished 1962 film 'Something's Gotta Give,' George Cukor was directing her where to go in a pool scene and she yelled, "I can't swim, you know!"

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Christina Ricci - The actress once said in an interview, "I won't swim in a pool by myself, because I think that somehow a little magic door is going to open up and let a shark out."

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Zayn Malik - Zayn suffers from aquaphobia, meaning he's scared of water and also can't swim. But that didn't stop him buying a house with an indoor pool!

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Chloë Grace Moretz -

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John Legend -

He admitted that his kids had already started swimming before him. But it’s not all bad—he’s getting lessons from Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte!

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John Legend -

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Chrissy Teigen -

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Chrissy Teigen -

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Stars out of water: Celebs who can't swim

Including celebrities with enormous pools in their mansions

04/09/24 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Swimming

When you think about people who can’t swim, you probably imagine small children wrapped in floaties, but a surprisingly large number of adults have never learned to stay afloat—including celebrities with enormous pools in their mansions. Whether it's a fear of water or something they've just never gotten around to, check out this gallery to see which stars would more likely sink than swim.