‘Game of Thrones’: Sophie Turner Considered Suicide Over Sansa Criticisms

Sophie Turner opened up about the toll Game of Thrones took on her mental health.

The actress behind the beloved Sansa Stark on the HBO drama rose to fame on the series, and has been open about how fame has affected her in the past.

In an interview with Dr. Phil on his podcast, Phil in the Blanks, the Dark Phoenix star revealed how negative comments about her GOT character led her to have suicidal thoughts.

“I would just believe it. I would say, ‘Yeah, I am spotty. I am fat. I am a bad actress.’ I would just believe it. I would get [the costume department] to tighten my corset a lot. I just got very, very self-conscious,” she said on the podcast.

The feelings eventually led her to face symptoms of depression, such as isolating herself from her loved ones, which she said happened “all of a sudden.” The sense of isolation got worse after she saw her friends and brothers going to university while she continued to focus on her career, as first reported by E! News.

“I had no motivation to do anything or go out. Even with my best friends, I wouldn’t want to see them, I wouldn’t want to go out and eat with them,” Turner said. “I just would cry and cry and cry over just getting changed and putting on clothes and be like, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t go outside. I have nothing that I want to do.’”

Turner then told Dr. Phil she still struggles with her depression.

“I’ve suffered with my depression for five or six years now. The biggest challenge for me is getting out of bed and getting out of the house. Learning to love yourself is the biggest challenge,” she said.

Also during her appearance on the podcast, Turner opened up about having suicidal thoughts, though never thinking she was truly capable of hurting herself.

“It’s weird. I say I wasn’t very depressed when I was younger, but I used to think about suicide a lot when I was younger. I don’t know why though,” she said. “Maybe it’s just a weird fascination I used to have, but yeah, I used to think about it. I don’t think I ever would have gone through with it. I don’t know.”

Today, Turner said she learned to love herself more after seeking therapy and treatment, and claims to feeling much better.

After the end of the HBO drama series, Turner said she is taking a break from acting in order to focus on her mental health and living in the moment.

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).