«I didn’t want to exist anymore»: Kerry Washington reveals the dark thoughts caused by her eating disorder and contemplated suicide while struggling with a “toxic” eating disorder
Kerry Washington contemplated suicide while she was struggling with a “toxic” eating disorder.
The 46-year-old star of the hit TV series «Scandal» opened up about her traumas before the release of her memoirs «Thicker than Water», in which she also, for the first time, shares her experience of having an abortion in her twenties.
During a special episode of «20/20» that aired on Sunday, September 24th, she shared her suicidal thoughts with host Robin Roberts: «I felt like self-harm was a way to hurt myself, like I didn’t want to be there. I was afraid of not wanting to be there because I was suffering so much».
She stated that at the time, she was trapped in «a toxic cycle of self-abuse that involved tools of starvation, binge eating, body obsession, and compulsive exercise».
Kerry Washington also mentioned, ahead of the release of her revealing book, that she refused to «be ashamed» of ending her career while it was on the rise.
The 46-year-old Scandal actress is now a mother of three children – a teenage stepdaughter, an eight-year-old daughter named Isabelle, and a six-year-old son named Caleb – with her 42-year-old husband, Nnamdi Asomugha, who is also an actor.
In her autobiography, she recounts how she accidentally became pregnant just after filming her role in the movie «She Hate Me» (2004) and explains that she gave a false name to doctors at the time to avoid jeopardizing her budding career.
