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Dr. Ruth still standing tall at 95 years old

The famed 'sexpert' stands tall at 4-foot-7 and once trained to be a sniper in the military
Dr. Ruth attend the 2019 Ad Council Dinner on December 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Dr. Ruth Westheimer’s been called a lot of things in her life. Pioneer. Force of nature. The female Freud. Scientist. Psychologist. Therapist. Sexpert. Bestselling author. Pint-sized powerhouse. Non-radical feminist. Media darling. Pop culture icon. And of course, the nickname that made her famous: Dr. Ruth.

But if you ask her which title she prefers above all others, she’ll simply say, “Omi.”

Indeed, the 95-year-old is “Omi” to four grandchildren, ranging in age from 19 to 30, and she’ll sing their praises at every opportunity. In an exclusive interview with From The Grapevine, Westheimer, a German immigrant who fled Nazi occupation, said that becoming a grandmother is one of her proudest accomplishments.

“When I look at (my grandchildren), having been an orphan of the Holocaust, I know that Hitler and the Nazis are dead, and my grandchildren are thriving,” she told us.

British actor, comedian and writer Michael Palin and German-born American sex therapist Ruth Westheimer attend the 13th Annual National CableACE Awards, held at Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, California, 12th January 1992. (Photo: Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Westheimer has never shied away from taboo topics; it’s those topics, in fact, that made her famous. As a radio host in the 1980s, she was both lauded and criticized for dishing out frank and unabashed advice about sex, intimacy and relationships. The show catapulted her to a career that’s branded her one of the most famous sex therapists in the world.

In the 2019 documentary “Ask Dr. Ruth” that’s now streaming on Hulu, Westheimer revealed a few facts about herself that, despite her candid and blunt personality, many people didn’t know.

Ruth isn’t her real first name

Westheimer was born Karola Ruth Siegel in Frankfurt, Germany. She goes by her middle name now, because she thought “Karola” sounded too German.

NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 21: Musician Bono receives a kiss from Doctor Ruth Westheimer during the13th Annual MusiCares Person Of The Year tribute at the Marriott Marquis February 21, 2003 in New York City. Grammy winning artist Bono will be honored for his musical and humanitarian accomplishments. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

She’s a military veteran

When Westheimer moved to Israel, she joined a military branch where trained as a sniper, but didn’t have to use the training, which she considers a blessing.

She’s lived in five countries

After leaving Germany at age 10, Westheimer lived in a children’s home in Switzerland. When she turned 18, she moved to Israel, where she met her first husband. The two moved to Paris, France, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. After getting a divorce, she emigrated to the United States.

She speaks four languages

That’s German, Hebrew, French and English.

She’s lived in the same New York apartment for 55 years

It’s a small, modest three-bedroom in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in Manhattan. She moved there after she left France, and she’s never wanted to leave.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer attends the Annual Charity Day Hosted By Cantor Fitzgerald, BGC and GFI on September 11, 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald)

She has five doctorate degrees

One is from Columbia University, where she took night classes to earn an Ed.D. in family and sex counseling in 1970. After she rose to fame, three institutions – Trinity College, Hebrew Union College seminary, Lehman College of the City University of New York, and Ben-Gurion University in Israel – awarded her honorary doctorates. In the latter university, she now has a scholarship fund named after her.

EDr. Ruth Westheimer attends Authors Night For The East Hampton Library at Gardiner’s Farm on August 10, 2013 in East Hampton, New York. (Photo: Matthew Peyton/Getty Images for East Hampton Library)

She’s written 45 books

And one of them is “Sex for Dummies.” The original edition, published in 1995, has been revised four times. Most recently, she published a children’s book, “Crocodile, You’re Beautiful! Embracing Our Strengths and Ourselves,” in August 2019.

Mark Nadler, Dr. Ruth, and Tommy Tune attend the after party for “I’m A Stranger Here Myself” Off Broadway Opening Night at The York Theatre at Saint Peter’s on May 2, 2013 in New York City. (Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

There’s an Off Broadway play about her life

The play “Becoming Dr. Ruth” opened in 2013, with actress Debra Jo Rupp playing the role of Dr. Ruth. The play chronicled her life from fleeing Germany to coming of age in the Israeli countryside to her struggles as a single mother.

She doesn’t give sex advice to her kids – or grandkids

But she did leave her books around the house in case they had questions.

She was married three times

The third one, to Fred Westheimer, lasted 36 years before he died in 1997.

Robert Haber, Dr. Ruth and Sonja Haber attend the YM&YWHA Of Washington Heights And Inwood Gala Honoring Dr. Ruth at Gustavino’s on December 03, 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for YM&YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood Gala)

She used to think she was too short to find love

At 4-foot-7, Dr. Ruth was quite insecure about her stature in her younger years “Nobody is going to want me because I’m short and ugly,” she wrote in her diary in the 1940s. Now, world leaders and movie stars lean in or crouch down to hear her speak, knowing she’d say something wise and witty.

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