After Dwayne Wade opened up about his emotional journey surviving kidney cancer on Today With Jenna & Friends, he and Jenna Bush Hager invited Lucy Hale to share why she went public about her sobriety.
Hale, who is now three years sober, said her desire to share her story came from wanting to be authentic to herself.
“I just wanted to show up as myself and I tried to run away from that for so long and I was just tired,” she told Wade and Bush Hager. “And so when I started openly speaking about it, I had no idea it was going to connect with people in the way that it did.”
She continued, “To me, being sober is so much more than just not drinking alcohol and doing drugs, it’s being able to show up as me, and being really present and being of service to others. It’s felt very easy to share my story and connect with people.”
Bush Hager then asked if it felt like she had “come home” to a younger version of herself, which Hale completely agreed with.
“That’s exactly what it is. It’s like a remembrance, it’s not like, ‘Oh, I’ve changed so much.’ When you make these choices in your life, it’s like, ‘Oh, there I am,’” Hale said.
Wade, who is guest hosting Today With Jenna & Friends this week, praised Hale for coming forward with her story. “I just shared my journey right now about kidney cancer and people say it’s bravery. And I told you as well off camera that you sharing your journey about being sober for three years and taking everybody through that journey is bravery, as well,” he said.
Hale, who is starring in the new thriller comedy F Marry Kill, has been open about struggling with substance abuse since she was as a teen actress on Pretty Little Liars.
She has said before that her “whole life has changed” since deciding to get sober in January 2022.
Today with Jenna & Friends airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
The post Lucy Hale Opens Up On ‘Today’ About Why She Shared Her Journey To Sobriety: “I Tried To Run Away From That For Long” appeared first on Decider.
