Katherine Heigl reveals that she did therapy to ‘get to know’ herself after being ‘ashamed publicly’

Katherine Heigl revealed that therapy and meditation helped her to ‘know [herself]’after she suffered a’ public shame ‘and was labeled’ difficult ‘.

The former Grey’s Anatomy star left Hollywood for rural life in Utah in 2010, amid a loud chorus of accusations that she was ‘hard to work’ and ‘thankless’ for her success on screen, thanks in large part to strange interviews.

And the 42-year-old actress has now revealed that, in the midst of her removal from the spotlight, more than a decade ago, she took a self-help journey that also included the use of crystals, reiki and acupuncture – all of which she continues to practice today.

Discussing the big change in her public image, she told The Telegraph’s Stella magazine: ‘It was a giant snowball effect. The more I was aware of it, the more afraid I was and the more I would say something stupid.

‘It was a vicious cycle. It was a public shame. Even a little bit of public intimidation. And I took it very, very personally. I was confused about my own worth, because I put all my worth in other people’s opinions and suddenly those opinions changed. ‘

Several years after moving to Utah, where she lives with her musician husband Josh Kelley and their three children – daughters Naleigh, 12, and Adelaide, eight, as well as four-year-old son Joshua – Katherine does not seem to regret.

She said: ‘Getting out of the way for a while was very healing. It was a good time to discover me. I’m not sure why I spent so long not knowing who I am … I’m not a guru, I still get irritated regularly, but at least I’m trying now, whereas before, I didn’t even know how to do it. ‘

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. the actress spent much of last year at home with her family on her ranch, where they have five dogs, three cats, horses, chickens, goats, donkeys and pigs.

And although she has a number of projects coming up in the near future, including the Firefly Lane series and the thriller Fear Of Rain, she has had a simple life on her rural ranch with her family.

One of the advantages is her husband Josh, whom she married in 2007, building what Katherine dubbed a cabin to “save the marriage”, where they regularly watch TV when they want to spend time as a couple.

The star had already countered the claims that ruined her career that she is ‘ungrateful’ and ‘difficult’, insisting that she was falsely portrayed as ‘unprofessional’ by people who ‘did not like their opinions’.

Her successful film and TV career has long been overshadowed by reports of her behavior – leaving her suffering from such anxiety that she “felt like she would rather be dead”.

However, Heigl is adamant in his claims that any allegations about his misbehavior came as a result of misunderstandings, telling the Washington Post: ‘I may have said some things you didn’t like, but then went on to say’ she is ungrateful ‘ , then it went to “she is difficult”, and then to “she is not a professional”.

‘What is your definition of difficult? Someone with an opinion you don’t like? Now I am 42 years old, and that pisses me off, ‘she added.

Heigl has faced controversy after controversy throughout her career – which started with small roles in films in the mid-90s – many of which were sparked by comments she herself made.

While playing the role of Dr. Izzie Stephens in the hit series Grey’s Anatomy, the actress caused outrage when she refused to apply for the 2008 Emmy Award, claiming she had not ‘given the material to justify a nomination’.

Then, in 2009, during an appearance on David Letterman, she criticized the show’s producers for making the cast work 17 hours a day, labeling them ‘cruel and mean’.

“Our first day back was on Wednesday and it was – I will keep saying that because I hope it will embarrass you – a 17-hour day, which I think is cruel and cruel,” she said.

Heigl left the series the following year to pursue film roles, however, after scoring some big hits with comedies like Knocked Up, which she criticized as “a little sexist”, and 27 Dresses, her other on-screen projects were down performance, if not totally failed, at the box office.

She also struggled to escape her negative reputation – which even saw her labeled in some forums as ‘the most hateful actress in Hollywood’ – and she admits that criticism has caused her to stumble more and more.

“The more I said I felt it, the more they wanted it,” she explained. ‘The more terrified and afraid of doing something wrong, the more it looked like he really did something terribly wrong.’

Initially, rumors and gossip about Heigl being ‘hard’ to work did not affect his career, with the actress noting that even the ‘most terrible, difficult, horrible’ people can keep a job if they continue to ‘make money’ – which she went, for a while.

“You may be the most terrible, difficult and horrible person on the planet, but if you are making money for them, they will continue to hire you,” Heigl said.

‘I knew that everything they thought I had done was so horrible, they would ignore it if I made money – but then my films started not making that much money.’

When his successful screen career turned into a series of failures and failures, Heigl reached the limit, struggling to cope with the mounting pressure to secure a box office success, along with the harshly negative labels that followed him from job to job.

In 2015, her anxiety had become so extreme that she felt she ‘would rather be dead’ – and she asked her family to help her seek professional help to deal with her mental health problems, revealing that she started taking the drug. Zoloft medicine, which is used to treat depression, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder.

‘I asked my mother and husband to find me a place to go that could help me, because I felt that I would rather be dead. I didn’t realize how much anxiety I was experiencing until I got so sick that I really had to seek help. You can do a lot of inner soul work, but I’m a big fan of Zoloft, ‘said Heigl.

Her husband Josh said that if Heigl had said the things she said then, in today’s climate, she would be considered, ‘a heroine’.

“I can’t imagine what all that pressure has done to her over the years, dealing with celebrities, dealing with people saying things that aren’t true about her. It would be difficult for anyone to process that, especially when it’s unfair and very negative, ‘he said.

She even had another supporter in her co-star James Marsden, who had nothing but brilliant things to say about her.

‘She has very strong convictions and strong opinions about certain things, and she doesn’t give up on letting you know if she feels she has been wronged in any way. I’ve always seen it just as a strength of character, ‘said Marsden.

‘I can see how it can be interpreted as being difficult or ungrateful or whatever. But if you know Katie, it’s simply because she has the courage to stand up for something she believes in, ‘he added.

Marsden continued: “One element of Katie that I always thought would define her was her momentum. I never thought that she would be a person who was idle. She will not sit there. She will take control and do it her way.