Kerry Washington's "Toxic" Eating Disorder Led To Thoughts Of Suicide

Kerry Washington is being painfully honest about her personal health struggles in a new interview with Robin Roberts. In a clip of their conversation, the actress explains why she decided to present a vulnerable self-portrait at this point in her career while discussing her pending memoir, Thicker Than Water.

“I’ve never wanted to share my private life for the sake of fame or for the sake of attention — but I feel like this sharing is with purpose,” explained the 46-year-old.

In the clip shared by Good Morning America, the Scandal star continued to discuss her past experiences with an eating disorder and suicidal ideation.

The award-winning actress continued to detail how she managed “secretly binge eating for days at a time, often to the point of physical pain, sometimes to the point of passing out.”

“I could feel how the abuse was a way to really hurt myself, as if I didn’t want to be here,” the American Son lead explained to Roberts. “It scared me … that I could want to not be here because I was in so much pain.”

When the journalist asked her if she considered taking her own life, the Bronx representative responded “Yeah. Yeah … The behavior was tiny little acts of trying to destroy myself.”

Reflecting on her past Washington makes it known that she is now in a better and brighter space.

“It’s not to the extreme,” she said. “There’s no suicidal ideation. That is not where I am anymore. But I know like, ‘Oh, I’m really in this chocolate today. This is good information for me.”

Kerry Washington: Thicker Than Water — A Conversation with Robin Roberts is set to air on Sunday (Sept. 24), 10 p.m. ET on ABC. It will also be available to stream the next day on Hulu. Watch the preview below.

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, contact the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please go visit ANAD.org or call the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders at 1 (888)-375-7767 for support and resources.

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