The former 'Empire' actress admits she felt 'embarrassed' for thinking of taking her own life when she was at her lowest ebb last year during the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Feb 4, 2021

AceShowbiz - Taraji P. Henson was "embarrassed" at having suicidal thoughts in the past.

The actress previously admitted she felt suicidal during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, and the "Hidden Figures" star acknowledged that life remains a "struggle" for a lot of people.

"It's very real," she told Entertainment Tonight. "There are so many people, right now especially in this time that we're dealing with in history, that they're contemplating... Every day is a struggle. I found myself struggling with not knowing or just giving up."

Taraji felt embarrassed when she was at her lowest ebb but on reflection, she thinks it's important to confront issues, rather than run away from them.

"You feel embarrassed to have those thoughts, and why?" she mused. "Why should you feel embarrassed? That is a real thought that you're having in real time. Don't shun it. It's real. Deal with it."

Last year (20), Taraji revealed she considered taking her own life at the height of the pandemic.

The "Empire" actress admitted she found herself in a "dark place" during the health crisis.

"For a couple of days, I couldn't get out of the bed, I didn't care. That's not me. Then, I started having thoughts about ending it," she said.

Taraji - who has 26-year-old son Marcell from a previous relationship- eventually discussed her worries with a friend and her suicidal thoughts quickly subsided.

"I felt myself withdrawing," she continued. "People were calling me, I wasn't responding … Finally, I'm talking to one of my girlfriends and I knew - I was smart enough to say, 'I have to say it,' because a part of me was ashamed. I was like, I don't want them to think I'm crazy."

"So one day I just blurted it out, to my girlfriend. She called me in the morning and I was like, 'You know I thought about killing myself last night.' And, (I said) 'Oh my god, I feel so much better. I'm not gonna do it now.' "