The usually reserved Dakota Johnson has shared a sweet story about how her boyfriend Chris Martin, 46, lifts her out of her depressive states. Speaking in New York at the 2023 Hope For Depression Research Foundation luncheon, of which she’s an advocate, the 34-year-old actress went into detail on a recent turn of events.
“A few weeks ago, I was having a low day,” she told the crowd. “And my partner said to me, ‘Are you really struggling? and I said ‘No?’”
Despite Johnson insisting she was fine, the musician saw through her façade.
“And he said, ‘Baby, you are wearing a Cats T-shirt.’ As in Cats the music,” she continued. “So, it turns out, I really was struggling. But that moment lifted me up and pulled me out of it.”
Revealing she has been in therapy since she was young to help “make sense of the complexities of family life,” Johnson talked about how she’s made peace with the idea that this is something she will continue to live alongside with.
“The biggest thing I’ve learnt about depression is learning to become OK with there never really being an immediate answer, never really being an immediate end,” she said.
Johnson has been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression in the past, and hopes that it might help someone else.
“If me saying one little hopeful thing or one maybe relatable thing can help one other person feel a little bit better or a little bit less alone with their experience, then I am a very willing advocate,” she said. “Most of the time as you can probably tell, I speak about depression or anxiety in a very self-deprecating way. Perhaps, I sometimes find it easier to look it in the eyes if I mask it in comedy. Covering my pain or anxiety with comedy has become a lifelong tool, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing, it works, it helps me. Because, sometimes if I don’t laugh, I will cry.”
Johnson and Martin began dating in 2017.
If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, there is help available 24/7. You can anonymously call a counsellor from Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or chat to one online here. If you’re in crisis or feeling unsafe, please call 000 or Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
