Reese Witherspoon is reflecting on a difficult time in her life.
In a recent interview with The New York Times podcast The Interview, the actress opened up about the abusive relationship she experienced when she was “really young.” Reese first revealed the abuse she suffered in O, The Oprah Magazine back in 2018, revealing she had “no self-esteem” due to the relationship. The confession may come as a shock to many since Reese always came across as so confident. However, on the podcast, she explained that no one knew because she was good at “showing up” and faking it:
“I was very good at being a professional and showing up and doing the right thing, but I wasn’t emotionally mature when I was young. You get into relationships that don’t work for you, and sometimes you don’t even see the dynamics that are happening.”
Related: Reese Witherspoon’s Rare Comments About ‘Scary’ Time Becoming A Young Mom
Reese eventually got out of the relationship, but the aftermath wasn’t pretty. She developed a distorted perception of herself because of the abuse she suffered, dealing with a lot of insecurity and a lack of confidence. Sadly, it took her a while to build herself back up again:
“It took me a while to reconstitute myself. My spirit had been diminished because I thought all those awful things that person said about me were true. I had to rewire my brain, but I was really insecure. It took me a long time to be this woman that I am today.”
Oof. It wasn’t easy to get out of that dark place, especially while being in the public eye. The Legally Blonde star continued:
“It’s very hard to be a public figure. I have a lot of compassion for people who live public lives and maintain privacy. It’s nearly impossible at this point with everybody dehumanizing you in a certain way, taking pictures of you like you’re an animal in the zoo instead of a person with their children or having a private moment. Yeah, it was hard. It was really hard.”
Wow. We applaud Reese’s vulnerability here. series her open up about this tough time in her life (below):
https://www.youtube.com/series?v=mbZbIzW2w7E
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment/The Interview/YouTube]
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