AceShowbiz -

Reese Witherspoon is opening up about a painful period in her life. In a recent interview for the March issue of O, The Oprah Magazine with her "A Wrinkle in Time" co-stars Mindy Kaling and Oprah Winfrey, Reese revealed she was once in a relationship that was both psychologically and verbally abusive.

"A line got drawn in the sand and it got crossed, and my brain just switched," the 41-year-old actress said of the moment she decided to break up with her unnamed ex. "I knew it was going to be very difficult, but I just couldn't go any further. It was profound and I was young, really young."

While leaving her abusive relationship was the "most difficult decision" she had ever made, she revealed that it empowered her. "I could never be the person I am today," she continued. "It changed who I was on a cellular level, the fact that I stood up for myself."

Witherspoon confessed that she didn't have any self-esteem back then, but "I'm a different person now, and it's part of the reason I can stand up and say, 'Yes, I'm ambitious.' Because someone tried to take that from me."

In another part of the interview, Witherspoon elaborated on the importance of women owning their ambition and the necessity of placing the word in a new frame. The "Legally Blonde" actress remarked that the word ambition "isn't about being selfish; it isn't about being self-serving."

"It's actually about wanting to create more and do better for communities, schools, the world, the government," she went on explaining. "An ambitious woman is not a terrifying thing, and it's not a repellent thing."

Kaling agreed with Witherspoon's remarks, saying that the word almost means ruthless "when applied to a woman." She added, "Used for a man, it's considered a great compliment. But if someone called me ambitious, it'd almost feel like shade."