Naomi Judd, who was half of Grammy-winning country-music duo The Judds with her daughter, Wynonna Judd, has resurfaced after years out of the public eye.
Naomi revealed to Good Morning America host Robin Roberts on Tuesday that she’s been battling mental illness for her entire life, and was only recently diagnosed with severe depression.
“What I’ve been through is extreme,” said Naomi, 70, to Roberts. “My final diagnosis was severe depression. Treatment-resistant, because they tried me on every single thing they had in their arsenal. It really felt like if I live through this, I want someone to be able to see that they can survive.”
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Because of all the different medications doctors tried to alleviate her pain, Naomi suffered a lot physically as well as mentally, admitting that the pills caused her hands to shake and her face to swell up “like a balloon.”
After much public scrutiny about her changed appearance and swollen face, many concluded that she had undergone plastic surgery or was eating too much.
“I really haven’t been eating ice cream and candy,” she said laughingly to Roberts. “I really haven’t.”
The country-music superstar said that her public and onstage persona differed radically from her life at home.
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Naomi also spoke about her relationship with now-52-year-old Wynonna, who she’s been estranged from for a while. The two spent a lot of time together performing, and also had a stint on 2011 OWN reality show The Judds, which Naomi says forced them to “grow apart.”
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“Through the decades, we kind of grew up together and I’m always telling her, ‘If I’d known better I would’ve done better,'” she said. “Wy bore the brunt of all of the mistakes I made and we talk about them. We’ve been through a lot of therapy together.”
“I love her but there are just times we need a break from each other,” she continued. “We’re still a little estranged from each other. And that happens with mother, daughters. If she sees this, and I hope she does, because the smartest thing is for all of us to feel known, no matter what’s going on. Be truthful. I think she’ll say, ‘Good for you, Mom, for finally being willing to talk about the bad stuff.'”
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Naomi mentioned that her relationship with her youngest daughter, actress Ashley Judd, is fine, and the two communicate regularly.
Naomi talks about her mental health and more in her new memoir, River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope, available now.
Where to get help
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways for getting help if you, or someone you know, is suffering from mental health issues.
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