During a recent interview with her A Wrinkle in Time co-stars Oprah Winfrey and Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon shared that she left an abusive relationship in order to achieve her dreams.
In response to Oprah's question, 'What's the most difficult decision you've had to make to fulfil your destiny?', Reese replied:
"For me, probably leaving an abusive relationship."
The brave mum-of-three said that an unnamed partner verbally and psychologically abused her at a young age.
The Big Little Lies star recalled how she left because "A line got drawn in the sand and it got crossed and my brain just switched.
"I knew it was gonna be very difficult, but I just couldn't go any further. But it was profound, and I was young. Really young."
"I couldn't ever be the person I am today," the 41-year-old said of leaving the abusive relationship, "I was a different person too. It changed who I was on a cellular level, the fact that I stood up for myself."
The Academy Award winner sympathises with people who find themselves in the same situation.
"None of leaving those situations is easy because it's wrought with self-doubt, particularly if someone damages your self-esteem," Reese noted. "I didn't have self-esteem."
Times have certainly changed for the actress, who finds herself spearheading the Times Up movement and giving a voice to others who feel the same pain she did.
"I'm a different person now, and it's part of the reason I can stand up and say 'yes, I'm ambitious' because someone tried to take that from me," the mum shared.
Reese also spoke out this last autumn about being sexually assaulted by a director when she was only 16 years old.
We admire her bravery, and we hope that by sharing her story Reese instils strength in other women, too.
The actress recalled how she and her Big Little Lies co-stars discussed their experiences with abuse, saying, "There wasn't a woman there who hadn't been affected by abuse."
Oprah, as well, told the Legally Blonde actress that she had suffered verbal and psychological abuse in the past.
Thank you to Reese, Oprah, and women everywhere for showing us that strength and vulnerability go hand in hand.
