News | Entertainment
23 Jan 2026 14:51
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Pamela Anderson "would like to change her name" to embrace her Finnish heritage

    The 58-year-old star has revealed she often wants to reclaim the moniker previously held by her late Finnish grandfather Herman Hyytiäinen, which was changed when the family arrived in Canada.


    She told Vogue Scandinavia: "Sometimes I don't want to be Pamela Anderson. I want to be Pamela Hyytiäinen. I would like to change my name, but they won’t let me.”
    The Baywatch star - who described her grandfather as "the closest person to me in my life" - recalled how Herman taught her Finnish as a young girl, but at the time she believed it to be a mythical language only they shared.
    However, she lost touch with being able to speak it fluently after he died when she was around 11 years old.
    She added: "It kind of left with him."
    In 2007, she and her father visited Finland to see their relatives, and she was keen to "feel that connection" with the land her grandfather told her about through folk tales and myths.
    She explained: "I just wanted to go, to feel that connection. I’d love to go back to Finland, maybe with my sons. To find out more about myself, to explore that side of me.
    "Maybe we will change my name and go back, to answer to my roots. It feels distant, but it’s a part of me. I’ve always been proud to tell people I’m Finnish, even before I knew what that really meant.”
    Family legacy has always been important to Pamela, who bought her grandparents' Vancouver Island estate three decades ago.
    She laughed: “I live in the house I grew up in, which is triggering and crazy.
    "Even though I’ve renovated, I’ve kept a lot of the charm of my grandparents’ place. I feel him there.
    “Herman was very tall, six foot three. I can see him sitting in his La-Z-Boy chair, and I can hear him, he had such a low voice. He still has such a strong presence in the house.”

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     23 Jan: Oscars 2026: Sinners break record with nominations, Jacob Elordi and Rose Byrne receive nods
     23 Jan: Amanda Seyfried thinks winning an Oscar "isn't necessary" for career success
     23 Jan: Karol G and Feid have reportedly split
     23 Jan: Summer House stars Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula have split
     23 Jan: Emeli Sande and her fiancee Yoana Karemova have split
     23 Jan: Colleen Hoover is cancer-free
     23 Jan: Nicole Kidman reportedly feels "refreshed and optimistic" as her divorce from Keith Urban is behind her
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The Crusaders' All Blacks are the first current New Zealand internationals to publicly address the exit of head coach Scott Robertson More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Queensland crocodile capture rates double as removal zones expand More...



     Today's News

    Business:
    Queensland crocodile capture rates double as removal zones expand 14:17

    National:
    Trump’s Greenland grab is part of a new space race – and the stakes are getting higher 14:07

    Rugby:
    The Crusaders' All Blacks are the first current New Zealand internationals to publicly address the exit of head coach Scott Robertson 14:07

    Business:
    Dairy farmers could be in an earlier-than-expected pay day 13:47

    Business:
    The latest rise in inflation may be unexpected - but many will have felt its impact 13:27

    Soccer:
    Premier League side Aston Villa have guaranteed themselves a top-eight spot in football's Europa League after a 1-nil victory over Fenerbahce in Turkey 13:27

    International:
    DNA found in an ancient Colombian skeleton may hold answers to origin of syphilis 13:07

    Environment:
    Residents in weather ravaged areas are still being urged to avoid travelling if possible, with slips and flooding still plaguing the upper North Island 13:07

    Motoring:
    Hayden Paddon's first day back in the World Rally Championship's top tier has been cut short due to dangerous conditions 12:17

    Law and Order:
    Taranaki Police have arrested a driver and impounded two vehicles following multiple complaints of dangerous driving earlier this week 11:57


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd