Taraji P. Henson is getting candid about her health struggles. In a telling new interview, the Empire star revealed her ongoing battle with anxiety and depression.
“My anxiety is kicking up even more every day, and I’ve never really dealt with anxiety like that. It’s something new,” she told Vanity Fair. “It was fun at first, but the older I get, the more private I want to be.”
Click through the gallery above for more on Taraji’s anxiety and depression!
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“I think there’s a misconception with people in the limelight that we have it all together, and because we have money now and are living out our dreams, everything is fine," she said.
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Taraji added, "That’s not the case. When they yell ‘Cut’ and ‘That’s a wrap,’ I go home to very serious problems. I’m still a real human."
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The 48-year-old even revealed that she sees a shrink to talk it out. “I talk to someone. I have a therapist that I speak to. That’s the only way I can get through it,” she confessed.
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“You can talk to your friends, but you need a professional who can give you exercises. So that when you’re on the ledge, you have things to say to yourself that will get you off that ledge and past your weakest moments.”
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In 2003, Taraji's ex, William Lamar Johnson, who is the father of Taraji's son, Marcell Johnson, was murdered. Just two years later, in 2005, Taraji's father died.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
But she's admitted healing takes time. She told Variety, “It has to be regularly, and that’s what I learned. It gets frustrating because you’re waiting for them to fix you, but it’s not that easy.”
“I think there’s a misconception with people in the limelight that we have it all together, and because we have money now and are living out our dreams, everything is fine," she said.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Taraji added, "That’s not the case. When they yell ‘Cut’ and ‘That’s a wrap,’ I go home to very serious problems. I’m still a real human."
Photo credit: Getty Images
The 48-year-old even revealed that she sees a shrink to talk it out. “I talk to someone. I have a therapist that I speak to. That’s the only way I can get through it,” she confessed.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“You can talk to your friends, but you need a professional who can give you exercises. So that when you’re on the ledge, you have things to say to yourself that will get you off that ledge and past your weakest moments.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
In 2003, Taraji's ex, William Lamar Johnson, who is the father of Taraji's son, Marcell Johnson, was murdered. Just two years later, in 2005, Taraji's father died.
Photo credit: Getty Images
But she's admitted healing takes time. She told Variety, “It has to be regularly, and that’s what I learned. It gets frustrating because you’re waiting for them to fix you, but it’s not that easy.”
Photo credit: Getty Images