The “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson, who is known as being one of the only openly devout Christians in Hollywood, has shockingly revealed that he once attempted suicide, but one vision stopped him from following through with it.
Ritchson’s Suicide Attempt
Ritchson, 41, told The Hollywood Reporter that he attempted suicide by hanging himself in his attic back in 2019, but a vision of his three sons stopped him from completing the act. At the time, Ritchson was so depressed that he was forced to finish editing his directorial debut, Dark Web: Cicada 3301, from his bed.
“I hung myself,” he confessed. “It all happened so fast, and I was dangling there.”
It was then that Ritchson’s sons, who Daily Mail reported are now aged 11, 10, and 8, appeared to him in a vision as adult men in their 30s, just a few years younger than his own age at the time.
“They calmly asked me not to do it, and told me that they wanted me to be here, alive and part of their lives,” he recalled.
Ritchson immediately listened to his sons and pulled himself up off the rafters before blacking out.
Ritchson’s Stressful Lead-Up To Suicide Attempt
Ritchson’s suicide attempt came after his former business partner threatened to falsely accuse him of sexual assault in the press if he did not go to her hotel room.
“She gave me an ultimatum to come to her room and said that if I didn’t, she would destroy the business and she would destroy me by calling TMZ to claim I sexually assaulted her,” Ritchson recounted. “It was really disappointing and became a perfect storm.”
Ritchson refused and hired legal representation, and she never ended up following through with her threats. Even so, he said that this experience “really broke me in that moment, and it took me a while to recover. I was super depressed and didn’t know how to navigate that.”
After his suicide, Ritchson sought help for his mental health, and he was soon diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“I was diagnosed as bipolar right after,” he revealed. “Deep down, I was comforted to know, ‘OK, there’s a name for this.'”
Related: Sally Field Honors Late ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Co-Star Robin Williams 9 Years After His Suicide
Ritchson Sexually Assaulted By ‘Very Famous Photographer’
In this same interview, Ritchson revealed that he was sexually assaulted by a “very famous photographer” during his younger days when he was “one of the highest paid models at the agency.”
“I was sent into a hotel room to do nudes with the promise that if I did the shoot, he would offer me a very lucrative campaign for a magazine and a clothing line,” he stated. “I was sexually assaulted by this guy.”
Ritchson fled the photoshoot and went directly to his agency, telling them to drop him immediately.
“I quit the industry and it was the last photo shoot I’ve ever had. Those pictures were never seen or published,” he explained. ‘That was it. I swore it off and thank God acting found me at the exact same time so I was able to make a switch to a new career, but it left some scars.”
“Let’s be honest, it’s like legalized sex trafficking,” he added of the modeling world. “The industry is not regulated, and it’s a widely known secret that if you’re hired on a job, you’re basically being passed off to a photographer to be trafficked.”
Related: ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson Encourages Fans To Live Out ‘Ethics Of Christ’
Ritchson’s Christian Faith
All of these experiences likely played a major role in Ritchson devoting himself to God and becoming a proud Christian.
“The point of prayer is to build a relationship with this all-powerful, all-knowing deity who desires to interfere with our lives,” he said in August of last year, according to Movie Guide. “I pray all the time that God interfere with my life in a way that aligns the path that I walk with his will.”
Earlier in 2023, Ritchson talked about the importance of faith-based films.
“If that’s where the pulpit is for people who wouldn’t normally step foot in a church, then that’s still a great way to have that conversation,” he said. “It matters that these films get supported.”
God bless Ritchson for continuing to use his platform to help others. In being so open about the negative experience he’s faced in his life, he’s inspiring other people to hang in there and find God as well!
More About:Entertainment TellMeNow