Actress Kaley Cuoco has shared harrowing details about her mental health struggles during her divorce from second husband Karl Cook, revealing she reached what she describes as "the lowest point I could get." The 40-year-old star of The Big Bang Theory opened up about this difficult period during a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, providing a raw and honest look at how depression affected her during the 2022 divorce proceedings.
'I Literally Thought I Was Gonna Die'
Cuoco described a particularly devastating morning during the premiere of the second season of her HBO Max series The Flight Attendant. "I woke up that morning, I was so depressed and so sad, I couldn't even breathe and I was just laying on the floor," Cuoco recounted. The actress revealed the depth of her despair, stating, "I literally thought I was gonna die. I really did. I said, 'What am I doing?'"
The Premiere Day Breakdown
The situation became so severe that Cuoco required assistance from her team just to prepare for the premiere event. "They literally got me ready on the floor. I couldn't get up," she explained. "I'm like, 'I can't go. I can't go anywhere.' I just blew up my life. My life's over. I truly thought that."
Cuoco reflected on this moment as a turning point in her understanding of mental health struggles. "I knew, when I was laying on that floor in my house, I thought, 'Oh my God, this is what they talk about. This is the lowest point I could get,'" she said. The actress called it "the worst morning of my life," noting the painful contrast with what should have been a celebratory occasion.
Marriage History and Current Happiness
Cuoco's marriage to Karl Cook represented her second marital union, lasting from 2018 to 2021 with the divorce finalized in 2022. Her first marriage was to former tennis professional Ryan Sweeting, which spanned from 2013 to 2016. Despite the profound difficulties she experienced during her divorce from Cook, Cuoco has since found happiness in a new relationship.
The actress is currently engaged to Ozark star Tom Pelphrey, with whom she shares a two-year-old daughter named Matilda. Cuoco acknowledged the transformation in her perspective, recalling, "I had prayed, and I feel like my soul died. And I had also said — I think I did a magazine. It was like, 'I'm never getting married again.' I said it, I believed that in the moment, (and then) met Tom."
Mental Health Awareness and Celebrity Transparency
Cuoco's candid discussion about her mental health challenges during divorce proceedings adds to a growing conversation about depression and emotional wellbeing, particularly during life transitions. Her willingness to share such vulnerable moments provides insight into the human experience behind celebrity personas and highlights the universal nature of emotional struggles.
The actress emphasized the strange timing of emotional highs and lows, noting how her professional success coincided with personal turmoil. "It's so crazy those things sometimes happen at the same time," she observed about the contrast between her career milestone and personal crisis.
