In a frank conversation with Gwyneth Paltrow during the virtual summit In Goop Health, the actress Gabrielle Union talked about his mental health journey over the years and his recent battle against suicidal ideation.
Speaking by video to Gwyneth, the LA’s Finest star shared: “I had so many rock bottom moments as an adult, starting with being raped at 19 at gunpoint at my job. It felt like every few years there was some big catastrophic event going on in my life. You you know, divorce, career setbacks, relationship problems. There’s always something that just leaves you on your ass and you’re like, ‘There’s no way I can move on, I’ll never recover, I’ll never be the same.’ ”
Gabrielle, who had previously talked about being a victim of sexual assault while working in a shoe store as a teenager, which led to her developing PTSD, shared that each challenge allowed her to grow. “You have these mini deaths,” she said. “You have to regret the person you were before. And there were times when I felt I needed to be reborn from success, because it comes with its own challenges.”
A new challenge that the TV star has faced in recent years is perimenopause, which marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years when she moves into menopause, and can cause a wide range of symptoms associated with hormonal disorders. Gabrielle, who is 48, was first diagnosed in her 30s, but said the “symptoms peaked” only last September.