- Sophie, 28, and Joe, 34, announced that they were divorcing in September 2023
- The actress admitted that she struggled immensely with ‘mom guilt’ afterwards
- She described that time as the ‘worst few days of her life’ in a new interview
Sophie Turner has laid bare her battle with depression and anxiety and opened up about the agony that she felt during her Joe Jonas divorce fallout in an emotional new Vogue interview – admitting there were days when ‘she didn’t know if she would make it.’
The Game of Thones star, 28, and the Jonas Brothers singer, 34, shocked the world when they announced they were divorcing in September 2023.
Immediately, the internet became ablaze with speculation regarding what had gone wrong – and it only got worse after reports emerged that said the musician had caught the actress ‘doing something’ suspicious on their Ring security camera.
Now, Sophie has spoken out about the media storm surrounding the split, and she admitted that she struggled immensely with ‘mom guilt’ and described that time as the ‘worst few days of her life’, while stating that her children have been made ‘victims’ of the bitter fallout over their break-up.
Sophie Turner has laid bare her battle with depression and anxiety and opened up about the agony that she felt during her Joe Jonas divorce fallout in an emotional new Vogue interview
The Game of Thones star, 28, and the Jonas Brothers singer, 34, shocked the world when they announced that they were divorcing in September 2023. They’re seen in March 2023
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‘I mean, those were the worst few days of my life,’ she told Vogue in a new interview. ‘There were some days that I didn’t know if I was going to make it.
‘I would call my lawyer saying, “I can’t do this. I just can’t.” I was just never strong enough to stand up for myself.
‘And then, finally, after two weeks of me being in a rut, she reminded me that it was my children I was fighting for.
‘Once anyone says to me, “Do it for your kids,” I’m doing it. I wouldn’t do it for myself, but I’ll find the strength for them.’
At the time, Sophie was in the U.K. filming the TV show Joan, while Joe and their two daughters, Willa, four, and Delphine, one, were in the US.
‘I was contracted to be on set for another two weeks, so I couldn’t leave. My kids were in the States and I couldn’t get to them because I had to finish Joan. And all these articles started coming out…’ the star trailed off.
After the news hit the web, rumors erupted that they had split because Sophie was partying too much – especially after snaps of her enjoying a wild night out with her costars just days before Joe filed began to circulate.
‘It hurt because I really do completely torture myself over every move I make as a mother – mom guilt is so real,’ continued Sophie.
Now, Sophie has spoken out about the media storm surrounding the split to Vogue, and she admitted there were days when ‘she didn’t know if she would make it’
Sophie (seen with Joe and their daughters in 2023) said she suffered from ‘mom guilt’ when pictures of her partying emerged, adding, ‘It felt like I was watching a movie of my life’
‘I just kept having to say to myself, “None of this is true. You are a good mom and you’ve never been a partier.”
‘It’s unfathomable the amount of people that will just make s**t up and put it up based on a picture.
‘A picture might tell a thousand words, but it’s not my story. It felt like I was watching a movie of my life that I hadn’t written, hadn’t produced, or starred in. It was shocking. I’m still in shock.’
During her interview with Vogue, Sophie also admitted that she previously suffered from ‘depression, anxiety, and bulimia.’
‘I’m not very good at processing my emotions. I lock them away and then they’ll bubble up in years to come in some form of depression or anxiety,’ she shared.
‘Being a young girl, especially one growing up in the spotlight, you really judge yourself.’
She revealed that while she had taken medication for her mental health issues in the past, she currently isn’t using any.
‘Not since I moved back to the U.K.,’ she dished. ‘Which is great and also surprising, because I anticipated that I’d need to – now perhaps more than ever.
‘There’s something about a community and a support system that I’ve never realized is so important up until now.
‘And I think the reason I was on medication for so long is because I didn’t have those people with me.
‘Now that I’m back home, I’m actually the happiest I’ve been in a really long time. I’m starting over again, rediscovering what I like to do, who I like to be with.’
Snaps of Sophie enjoying a wild night out with her costars just days before Joe filed began to circulate online
‘It hurt because I really do completely torture myself over every move I make as a mother – mom guilt is so real,’ continued Sophie, who is seen here partying just before the split
Joe and Sophie started dating in 2016, and he proposed one year later; they then eloped in Las Vegas in 2019, which was followed by a lavish wedding celebration in France that summer.
Sophie recalled struggling with being branded as a Jonas Brothers’ wife following their marriage.
‘There was a lot of attention on the three brothers, and the wives. We were always called the wives, and I hated that,’ she admitted.
‘It was kind of this plus-one feeling. And that’s nothing to do with him – in no way did he make me feel that – it was just that the perception of us was as the groupies in the band.’
Things only got worse after they moved from Los Angeles to Miami in 2021, as Sophie said it felt like she was a ‘bird trapped in a gilded cage’ – especially since she was completely separated from her friends.
‘We were in this community full of 50-year-old men, so imagine trying to make friends on the dog walk,’ she dished.
In the end, Sophie credited her close pals – including pop sensation Taylor Swift – with helping her to get through the rough time after her highly publicized split from Joe.
‘The support I had from the women in my life during that time was the most amazing thing to see. I felt so held and so protected,’ she gushed.
‘Taylor was an absolute hero to me this year. I’ve never been more grateful to anyone than I am for her because she took my children and me, and provided us with a home and a safe space. She really has a heart of gold.’
Back in October, Joe and Sophie set up a temporary custody arrangement after she sued him over his efforts to prevent her from taking their children out of the US on an allegedly pre-planned trip to the UK.
Sophie recalled struggling with being branded as a Jonas Brothers’ wife following their marriage. She said, ‘It was kind of this plus-one feeling’
Since she and Joe split, Sophie has been linked to Peregrine Pearson (seen together in March). She admitted to Vogue, ‘I am having fun dating. It’s very fun’
It granted each parent two weeks at a time with their daughters until January 2024, and allowed the girls to travel back and forth between the US and UK.
In March, it was revealed that the former couple had ‘reactivated’ their divorce proceedings.
Joe’s rep stated at the time, ‘The filing was a legal formality, and the couple continues to negotiate an amicable resolution.’
Now, Sophie told Vogue that she’s hopeful that she and Joe will be able to co-parent peacefully.
‘I’m unhappy with the way everything played out, especially when it comes to my children. They’re the victims in all of this,’ she said.
‘But I think we’re doing the best we ca. I’m confident that we can figure it out. Joe is a great father to our children and that’s all that I can ask for.
‘I don’t care about the politics, I just want the girls to feel loved and have everyone show up for them.’
Since she and Joe split, Sophie has been linked to Peregrine Pearson – the eldest son and heir of Michael Pearson, the 4th Viscount Cowdray, and a former film producer who owns a significant chunk of the Pearson media empire.
‘I am having fun dating. It’s very fun,’ she added. ‘I mean, it’s strange when you get married so young. It’s like you never really learn how to date. So it’s all very new to me.’
See the full feature in the June issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from May 21.