Michelle Williams’ life after Ledger

Michelle Williams is finally able to talk about Heath Ledger, said Leslie Bennetts in Marie Claire. It’s been three years since Ledger, her former fiancé and the father of her daughter, died of an accidental overdose of pills. “My heart is broken,” she said at the time. And then she shut off. “Everyone has a tragedy, I met mine a little early,” says the actress, 30. “How do I talk about this? I experienced a lot of loss after his death. I lost my city because of the paparazzi descending upon us. I actually lost my journal during that time. It felt as if things were slipping through my fingers. I lost my sense of humor. I’m still sort of looking for that.” She had to keep functioning, though, because of the couple’s daughter, Matilda, who is about to enter first grade.

Recently, Williams began dating again, though she’s proceeding with caution. “Very obviously, for me and for [Matilda], there’s a hole in our life,” says Williams. “Of course the natural inclination is to want to fill it up, but what I’ve come to recently is that it’s impossible. I’m not going to rush anything.” For now, she’s just happy she made it through. “I kept it together. I didn’t fall apart.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up