Actress Gina Rodriguez opened up in an emotional interview about the anxiety and suicidal thoughts she first started to experience at the age of 16.
When speaking to NBC's Kate Snow at The Kennedy Forum in Chicago, Illinois, newlywed Rodriguez surprised everyone with her candor about dealing with depression from her teenage years well into adulthood.
I think I started dealing with depression around 16
The now-34-year-old Jane the Virgin star confessed.
Her statement came after Snow's husband, Chris Bro, took the stage to speak about losing his father to suicide. The topic inspired Rodriguez to speak to the forum about her own battles with suicidal thoughts.
I started dealing with the idea of — that same concept that I think your husband was talking about — [that] everything is going to be better when I'm gone
She said.
The Jane the Virgin actress recently married Joe LoCicero and starred in a Netflix film alongside Brittany Snow
Soon after, the actress started to tear up as she recognized what she was confessing to in front of the audience.
'I felt that before, not too long ago, and it's a very real feeling,' she said through tears.
Rodriguez has previously been open about her experience with anxiety to the public.
Two years ago, she shared an Instagram video of a 10-second portrait of herself. The caption then detailed to followers about the anxiety she experiences.
'It's always great to be in front of his lens but this time it was just me,' she wrote at the time.
'Bare and exposed in the streets of LA. No makeup. No styling. Just me. I suffer from anxiety. And watching this clip I could see how anxious I was but I empathize with myself.'
She continued: 'I wanted to protect her and tell her it's OK to be anxious, there is nothing different or strange about having anxiety and I will prevail. I like watching this video. It makes me uncomfortable but there is a freedom I feel maybe even an acceptance. This is me. Puro Gina.'
During the interview for The Kennedy Forum, Gina confessed the last season of Jane the Virgin was particularly difficult for her to film, as she suffered from panic attacks.
'The last season was the first season that I had to stop production,' she said. 'And I just had a really tumultuous season, and I was unafraid, for the first time, to be like, "I can’t."'
Rodriguez recently married Joe LoCicero, whom she met on the set of Jane the Virgin. She also starred in a hit Netflix movie while also filming the final season for her TV show.
But the actress wanted people, especially young girls, to know her life wasn't perfect and still had its own struggles.
'It was the reason why I took this talk,' she said, confessing she felt it was vital to remain honest with her fans and followers.
'It has to be a part of the conversations I have with these young girls. I can't just tell them to go out and make their dreams come true and then to ignore everything else.'
