Dwayne Johnson and nine other celebrities on dealing with depression
Former wrestler speaks of trauma following his mother’s suicide attempt when he was a teenager
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful










Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has spoken for the first time about his struggles with mental health issues.
In an interview with the Sunday Express, the film star and wrestler talked of battling depression after his dreams of a professional American football career were cut short through injury.
“Struggle and pain is real,” he said. “I was devastated and depressed.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Johnson said the worst time came when he was a teenager and his mother, Ata, attempted suicide after they lost their apartment.
“She got out of the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic,” Johnson said. “I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road.”
The Hollywood A-lister is not the first celebrity to open up about depression.
Here are nine others who have shared their insight into living with mental health problems:
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Health insurance: Premiums soar as ACA subsidies endFeature 1.4 million people have dropped coverage
-
Anthropic: AI triggers the ‘SaaSpocalypse’Feature A grim reaper for software services?
-
NIH director Bhattacharya tapped as acting CDC headSpeed Read Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of the CDC’s Covid-19 response, will now lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military