Jada Pinkett Smith in shock as daughter Willow Smith reveals she used to self-harm

Smith opened the shock revelation
Safeeyah Kazi15 May 2018
The Weekender

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Jada Pinkett Smith was left shocked after her daughter Willow Smith revealed she used to self-harm.

The American actress looked confused as her 17-year-old daughter confessed, saying it happened after she "lost [her] sanity”.

Willow made the admission during an episode of Jada’s Red Table Talk, which is co-hosted by Jada's mother Adrienne Banfield-Jones.

Jada asked Willow to describe her biggest loss which she said happened after the success of her debut song Whip My Hair in 2010.

Willow said: “I would have to say, I feel like I lost my sanity at one point.

“It was after that whole Whip My Hair thing and I had just stopped doing singing lessons and I was kind of just in this grey area of, ‘Who am I? Do I have a purpose? Is there anything I can do besides this?”

She continued: “And after all of that kinda settled down and it was like a kind of lull, I was just listening to a lot of dark music.

Natural performer: Willow Smith whips the crowd into a frenzy following success of her 2010 single (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty )
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty

“It was just so crazy and I was plunged into this black hole, and I was, like, cutting myself.”

Shocked by her daughter's response, Jada said: “What? When were you cutting yourself? I didn’t see that part. Cutting yourself where?”

Showing her mother, Willow said: “On my wrist. I mean, you can’t even see it but there’s still a little something there.

“But like, totally lost my sanity for a moment there. I never talk about it because it was such a short weird point in my life. But you have to pull yourself out of it.”

Discussing the topic of self-harm, the trio concluded that Willow had resulted to self-harm as a way of making her “physical circumstances” reflect her “emotional pain.”

Willow said she stopped self harming after seeing the act as “psychotic”.

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123, visit a local Samaritans branch or visit them online at www.samaritans.org.

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