Sophie Turner has recently been very open about the struggles she faced growing up in the extreme spotlight that came along with her Game of Thrones fame.
Turner has admitted that she dealt with depression for the majority of the time she has been on the show, including suicidal thoughts and an eating disorder. She has openly celebrated therapy as a saving grace for her and encouraged others to seek professional help (a necessity that’s unfortunately not accessible to everyone financially or time-wise, but important to encourage to help destigmatise).
Now in an interview with The Sunday Times, Turner highlighted how important the actions of your support network can be when you’re facing these kinds of mental health struggles.
Specifically, she called out the role of her now-husband Joe Jonas played in her recovery. Speaking about when she met Joe back when she was 20 years old, the now-23-year-old said,
“I was going through this phase of being very mentally unwell.
“He was like, ‘I can’t be with you until you love yourself, I can’t see you love me more than you love yourself.’
“That was something, him doing that. I think he kind of saved my life, in a way.”
Supporting a loved one who is struggling with their mental health can look like a lot of different things. Sometimes it takes just ‘being there’ for them, and sometimes true support requires a stronger approach, like the one Joe Jonas seems to have used to support Sophie Turner.
It’s a good example of how selflessness and not always opting for the ‘easy’ route is so crucial in relationships.
Like her co-star and best friend Maisie Williams’ recent admission, Sophie Turner also indicated that the cost of the Game of Thrones fame may not be worth it.
“Having your adolescence being displayed in public, that’s something I really wish hadn’t happened.” she said.
“Being in the age of social media when that’s happening, I think I would be a much saner person if I hadn’t been documented from 13 – your most awkward, uncomfortable, unsure-of-yourself years.”
Both Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams being honest about the intimate details of their experience with mental health difficulties helps to dismantle the stigma around talking about it, and it’s part of what makes them such amazing public figures.