Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson opens up about battle with depression

It’s always encouraging when celebrities open up about their struggles with poor mental health – especially when it comes from the last person you’d expect. 

Which is exactly what happened this week, as wrestler, actor and all-round legend Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson opened up about his mother’s suicide attempt –and his own struggles with depression. 

In an interview with The Daily Express, Johnson recounted the day his mother tried to kill herself in front of him after they were “evicted from their apartment”. 

“She got out of the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic,” he said. “Big rigs and cars were swerving out of the way.

“I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road.”

What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is that to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t.”

Johnson also used the interview to open up about his own struggles, saying he felt “devastated and depressed” when, in a short period of time, his dream of becoming a football player was crushed due to injury and his girlfriend broke up with him.

“Struggle and pain is real. I was devastated and depressed. I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly,” he said. 

And though Johnson no longer struggles, he stressed the importance of “paying attention when other people are in pain”. 

“We both healed but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain,” he said. “We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.” 

Fans flocked to Twitter to praise him for his candour.

“Thank you. We all go thru the sludge/shit and depression never discriminates,” he responded. “Took me a long time to realise it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.”

(Image: Getty)