Jada Pinkett Smith tearfully admits she was saved from brink of suicide

16 October 2023 , 09:47

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Jada Pinkett Smith has opened up about her mental health (Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I)

Jada Pinkett Smith has recalled the moment that she realised she "wanted to die" in her twenties, with the Hollywood starlet getting emotional in a harrowing segment of a new podcast.

Last week it was revealed that Jada and husband Will Smith have been secretly separated for seven years, with her now lifting the lid on her turbulent relationship. Today in the new Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett, Jada spoke about the "resentment" she feels towards Will, as well as the mental health issues she has suffered throughout her life.

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Jada has recalled the harrowing moment she knew she 'wanted to die' (The Diary Of A CEO/YouTube)

Speaking to Steven Bartlett, Jada recalled a time in her early twenties when she experienced her first "personal earthquake" while driving in her car down the street. Becoming "so overwhelmed", Jada noted how she was fine one moment as she turned her car around to meet a friend, before all of a sudden her body shook and emotions came over her.

Jada touched on the "waterfall of tears" and a "volcano of emotions, fear, anger and despair". She said that she was in the car trying to drive, but couldn't, so pulled over feeling terrified to let it go. She then recalled thinking: "I want to die. I want to die."

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Recalling the moment she realised she wanted to die, Jada said that she called her mum and said: “You gotta come here, I’m gonna kill myself”. She added that in that moment she was "terrified" to be alone and decided to call her friend who "held her down" until her mum arrived.

Jada sat down with Steven Bartlett for the Diary of a CEO podcast (The Diary Of A CEO/YouTube)

"I think my body was telling me, I think my mind was telling me 'hey, we got some things we gotta pay attention to up here'," she recalled.

At the time, nobody was talking about mental health at all, she noted, adding: "Mental health was considered a white people thing, and suicide for sure was a white people thing." This then caused her to feel like something "had gone really wrong".

She felt as though she was losing her mind and going crazy, describing it as a scary time. She said: "You can deal with it, or it will deal with you," before adding how she went to see a psychiatrist, started taking Prozac, and also started therapy.

• For emotional support in the UK you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website. Or in the US if you are in crisis or feel suicidal and need someone to talk to, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

Mollie Quirk