In a candid conversation with Gwyneth Paltrow during the In Goop Health virtual summit, actress Gabrielle Union spoke about her mental health journey throughout the years, and her recent battle with suicidal ideation.
Speaking over video to Gwyneth, the L.A.’s Finest star shared, “I’ve had so many rock bottom moments as an adult, starting with being raped at 19 at gunpoint at my job. It just felt like every so many years there was some major catastrophic event that was happening in my life. You know, divorce, career setbacks, relationship issues. There’s always something that just lands you on your ass and you’re like ‘There’s no way I can move on from this, I’ll never recover, I’ll never be the same.'”
Gabrielle, who has previously spoken about how she was sexual assaulted while working at a shoe store as a teen that led to her developing PTSD, shared that each challenge has allowed her to grown. “You have these mini deaths,” she said. “You have to grieve the person you were before. And there have been times I’ve felt like I had to be reborn out of success, because that comes with its own challenges.”
One newer challenge the TV star has faced in recent years is perimenopause, which marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years as she transitions into menopause, and can cause a wide range of symptoms associated with hormonal disruption. Gabrielle, who is 48, was first diagnosed in her 30s, but said that the “symptoms reached a fever pitch” just this past September.
