Freida McFadden, identified for her psychological thriller The Housemaid, admitted that she’d grown “drained” of the key and was fed up with individuals “debating” her identification
Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid follows a younger maid who takes a job with a rich household (Picture: Getty Pictures)
A preferred US creator who penned the novel that served because the supply materials for a profitable Hollywood movie has revealed her true identification. In 2022, the best-selling creator Freida McFadden revealed The Housemaid, a psychological thriller that follows a younger maid who takes a job with a rich household.
It was later tailored into a success Lionsgate movie in 2025, starring Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. It raked in $400 million worldwide (£297m) — however that was removed from Freida McFadden’s solely triumph. Final 12 months, she grew to become the UK’s second best-selling creator of 2025, crushed solely by Julia Donaldson of The Gruffalo fame. Her books have bought 2.6 million copies within the UK, alongside six million print gross sales within the US.
Her books have bought 2.6 million copies right here, alongside six million print gross sales within the US (Picture: -)
Freida’s identify, nevertheless, is a pseudonym — a reality she reportedly has not tried to cover. However it seems she has grown “drained” of the secrecy and is now fed up with individuals “debating” her identification. Her actual identify is, in actual fact, Sara Cohen.
She instructed USA At this time: “I am at a degree in my profession after I’m bored with this being a secret.” Sara added: “I am bored with individuals debating if I am an actual individual or if I am three males. I’m an actual individual and I’ve an actual identification and I haven’t got something to cover.”
Sara has revealed 29 novels to this point, with three bestsellers this 12 months alone: The Housemaid, Wish to Know a Secret? and Pricey Debbie. Nonetheless, her entry into the literary world was seemingly influenced by her work in one other subject.
She additionally works as a physician specialising in mind problems, a career she continued alongside writing. Her first e-book, The Satan Wears Scrubs, was revealed in 2013 and tells a fictionalised model of her life as a medic.
Her work in drugs even influenced her pen identify. “Frieda” is a reference to a hospital coaching database referred to as the Fellowship and Residency Digital Interactive Database (FREIDA).
Sara defined why she opted for a pseudonym in a New York Instances interview in 2024. She stated on the time: “At work, I need to be a physician. A variety of my books have medical stuff in them, and I do not need individuals saying, ‘Is that this primarily based on me?’ It feels unprofessional.”
In additional feedback to USA At this time, Sara reiterated that her second profession influenced her resolution to maintain her identification non-public till she was ready the place she might “step again”.
Get movie star information and gossip plus chosen provides and competitions Subscribe Invalid e-mail
We use your sign-up to supply content material in methods you’ve got consented to and to enhance our understanding of you. This will likely embrace adverts from us and third events primarily based on our understanding. You possibly can unsubscribe at any time. Learn our Privateness Coverage
She stated: “My entire purpose was to maintain it a secret till I used to be (able to) step again from my physician job, so it would not be like everybody I work with all of a sudden knew and it compromised my capacity to do my job.”
Sara added: “However I’ve stepped away from my job. I am solely working like a couple of times a month.”
Leave a Reply