Ricki Lake is going into 2020 freer than ever before!
In an emotional Instagram post, the 51-year-old revealed on Wednesday she has been at-times “suicidal” over her “debilitating” hair loss, which she has been suffering from in a “quiet hell” for almost 30 years.
Related: Ricki Lake Reveals Her Ex-Husband’s Battle With Bipolar Disorder
Kicking off the lengthy caption, the Emmy Award recipient penned:
“Liberated and Free, Me.
First things first,
I am not sick. (THANK GOD.) I am not having a mid-life crisis. nor am I having a mental breakdown, though I have been suffering.
Suffering mostly in silence off and on for almost 30 years.
AND I am finally ready to share my secret.”
She continued, delving deeper into the emotions she has been “struggling” with over the years:
“Deep breath Ricki…. Here goes….. I have been struggling with hair loss for most of my adult life.
It has been debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, depressing, lonely, all the things. There have been a few times where I have even felt suicidal over it. Almost no one in my life knew the level of deep pain and trauma I was experiencing. Not even my therapist/s over the years knew my truth.
I know that by sharing my truth, I will be striking a chord with so so many women and men. I am not alone in this and my goal is to help others while at the same time unshackle myself from this quiet hell I have been living in.”
Wow. We can only imagine how painful that must have been. So how did her hair loss begin? Her starring role in the 1988 film adaption of Hairspray:
“Ever since I played Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray back in 1988 and they triple-processed and teased my then healthy virgin hair every 2 weeks during filming, my hair was never the same. (Yes, that was all my own hair in the film.) From Hairspray to Hairless. 🙁 In my case, I believe my hair loss was due to many factors, yo-yo dieting, hormonal birth control, radical weight fluctuations over the years, my pregnancies, genetics, stress, and hair dyes and extensions. Working as talent on various shows and movies, whether DWTS or my talk show, also took its toll on my fine hair.”
Ch-ch-check out the full IG post (below) and an extended Facebook message for more on her journey:
WOW!! Ricki, you’re so brave. Thank you for sharing your story with us all!!
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
[Image via Brian To/WENN.]
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