Julie Andrews has recently revealed that she underwent therapy after getting separated from her first husband, Tony Walton, in 1967.
She said going to therapy was lifesaving for her she was struggling to clear her head after separation from Walton, adding that the late director Mike Nichols advised her to see a therapist.
Andrews told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Sadly, I separated from my lovely first husband and separations were always inevitable and the marriage was over and my head was so full of clutter and garbage. Believe it or not, it was Mike Nichols who really tipped me into wanting to go to therapy.”
The 84-year-old said that Nichols encouraged her to seek help because he had a healthy mindset.
“He had been, and he was so sane, and funny and clear,” said Andrews. “He had a clarity that I admired so much. I wanted that for myself. And I didn’t feel I had it, so I went and got into it and it saved my life, in a way.”
The Princess Diaries star decided to reveal that she had to undergo therapy in her memoir, Home Work, in the hopes that it might benefit others who have been struggling with mental health issues.
“The truth is, Stephen, why not [share it]? If it helps anybody else have the same idea,” said Andrews.
The Sound of Music star went on to say therapy does not have the same negative stigma as it used to have in the past. She said, “These days, there’s no harm in sharing it. I think everybody knows the great work it can do. And anybody that is lucky enough to have it, afford it and take advantage of it, I think it would be wonderful.”
