‘Reacher’ Alan Ritchson Admits Sexual Assault & Suicide Attempt
Alan Ritchson opened up about his experience with sexual assault and how it led him to attempt suicide The Reacher star told his story while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for a feature piece, which was published on Wednesday. It is the first time Ritchson is coming forward with allegations of abuse and how it impacted his life. Continue reading to see what he revealed and what he’s discovered about life now.
Alan Ritchson Attempted To Take His Own Life
His attempted suicide took place in the attic of his home. “I hung myself,” he told the Hollywood Reporter. “It all happened so fast, and I was dangling there.”
However, the Smallville star said that a vision of his young boys made him pull himself back up. He said that he saw his sons, Calem, 11, Edan, 10, and Amory, 8. His vision showed them in their mid-30s though, and Alan Ritchson realized he wanted to live to see his boys grow up.
In his vision, he said, “They calmly asked me not to do it, and told me that they wanted me to be here, alive and part of their lives.”
The incident led him to seek help. After seeing a psychiatrist, he was diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 36 and, later, he was also diagnosed with ADHD. Both conditions can have an immense impact on your mental health if they go untreated, but Ritchson had a lot of unspoken trauma affecting him as well.
Years of sexual assaults in the modeling industry and in the entertainment industry sent Alan Ritchson over the edge. He said those experiences “broke” him.
The Reacher Star Recounts Two Instances Of Sexual Abuse
“There are very few redeeming qualities to working in [the modeling] industry. Let’s be honest, it’s like legalized sex trafficking,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
The Reacher star went on to say there were numerous situations where he was put in “horrific environments where sexual abuse was the goal.” One incident, in particular, led Alan Ritchson to leave the modeling industry altogether.
According to the 40-year-old actor, he was booked for a modeling shoot with a “famous photographer.” He says that he was sent into a hotel room to do a nude photoshoot and was promised a lucrative modeling deal if he did it. In the room, he alleges that he was sexually assaulted by a male photographer. After that, he ended his modeling career for good.
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A smooth transition into acting didn’t save him from further abuse though. He was threatened by a female in the business. She said if he didn’t come with her to his hotel room she would tell TMZ that he assaulted her.
“I was super depressed and didn’t know how to navigate that,” he said. Not long after, he attempted to take his own life.
In addition to his acting career, Ritchson has started speaking at events about his experience as well as his struggle with managing his own mental health diagnosis.
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