'Game of Thrones' star Sophie Turner says she contemplated suicide in her teens because of social media criticism
Sophie Turner has claimed that growing up in front of millions of viewers as part of the 'Game of Thrones' saga has had a negative impact on her.
In a conversation with Dr. Phil on his podcast, Turner revealed: "I was so in love with [working on 'Game of Thrones']… I couldn’t believe I was going to get paid for it… Everything was incredible, it only started to go downhill I think when I started to hit puberty at like 17 and my metabolism was slowing down massively and I was gaining weight... and there was the social media scrutiny and everything and that was when it kind of hit me."
The 23-year-old claimed she suffered from depression for "about five or six years" after she shot to fame as Sansa Stark, according to a Page Six report.
"The biggest challenge for me is just getting out of bed and getting out of the house, and learning to love yourself is the biggest challenge I think," she shared.
At a time when her friends were preparing for college, Turner continued to work on the hit HBO series and remained at home. She said she felt "alone" with the combination of living at home with parents, her friends going off to school, and the negative aspects of social media.
"I had no motivation to do anything or go out," Turner explained. "Even with my best friends… I would cry and cry and cry." After a point, Turner's depression forced her to contemplate ending her life.
"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," Turner explained. "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."
However, the HBO star is now doing "much better" after attending therapy and undergoing medical treatment, she claims. "I love myself now or more than I used to now," she said. "I don’t think I love myself at all, but I’m now with someone [fiancé Joe Jonas] who makes me realize I do have some redeeming qualities I suppose."
