Meghan Markle opens up on how Prince Harry helped her through her ‘worst point’ in a new podcast episode

Meghan Markle tackles difficult but important issues in her latest episode archetypes podcast.

The Duchess of Sussex’s latest episode aired on Tuesday and welcomed actress Constance Wu, comedian and writer Jenny Slate and activist and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, titled “The Decoding of Crazy”.

During her conversation with Deepika, Meghan described how her husband Prince Harry found a referral to a psychologist when she was at her “worst point”.

Karwai Tang/WireImage Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

“I mean, I’m thinking at my worst point, finally being connected to someone who, you know, my husband had found a referral for me to call. And I called this woman,” said Meghan, 41. “She didn’t even know I was calling her. And she checked out at the grocery store. I could hear the little beep, beep, and I said, “Hi,” and I’ll introduce myself and you can you literally go, wait, sorry. I’m just. Who is this? Um, and said I need help. And she could hear the bad state I was in. “

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Meghan continued, “But I think it’s up to all of us to be really honest about what you need and not be afraid to make peace with it, to ask for it.”

TIED TOGETHER: Meghan Markle’s Biggest Revelations Inside Her archetypes podcast

Meghan previously opened up about her mental health issues during her interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in March 2021.

“I was ashamed to say it at the time, and I was ashamed to admit it to Harry. But I knew if I didn’t say it – then I would,” she said at the time. “I just didn’t want to live anymore.”

Meghan continued, “That was clear and real and scary and a constant thought.”

The Duchess of Sussex recalled a January 2019 trip to see a performance at the Royal Albert Hall after sharing her thoughts with Prince Harry.

She told Oprah, “I remember he said, ‘I don’t think you can walk,’ and I said, ‘I can’t be left alone.’ “

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Meghan, who was pregnant with son Archie Harrison at the event, said she could see in photos from the night Harry was holding her hand despite her smile.

“We’re both just trying to hold on,” she said.

Meghan also said she “cried” every time the theater lights went out.

“And I think that’s so important, that people remember that you have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors for someone. I don’t know,” she said. “Even the people who smile and let the brightest lights shine. You need to have compassion for what may actually be going on.”

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In the episode’s intro, Meghan said, “I feel pretty strongly about that word…that label: ‘crazy’…the way it’s thrown around so casually and the damage it’s doing to society and women everywhere – by.” Relationships to the point of broken families, ruined reputations and ruined careers. The stigma surrounding the word also has this silent effect — this effect where women who have real mental health issues become scared, they keep silent, they internalize, and they suppress it for far too long.

Deepika opened up about her mental health issues, which started “out of the blue” in 2014.

“I woke up one morning and everything was going well. My films were a success. Personal, beautiful relationships, supportive family. Like it just came out of the blue. I woke up, I fell down Blood pressure dropped. And then the next thing I know. My life just felt meaningless,” Deepika said. “I didn’t want to live anymore, you know, I just wanted to. I didn’t want to get out of bed. And I’ve struggled with that for many, many months. I would just collapse in the blink of an eye… Not being there. Like I’m talking to someone or, you know, at an event or chatting with someone, but my mind is elsewhere. And I, I had never felt like this before. So easy, everything felt so confusing. And my parents came to see me and the day they were ready to leave I sat and watched them pack and started crying again. And my mom said, ‘What’s the matter? is it your relationship Did someone say something to you?’ I said, “I don’t know. I’ve felt this way for many, many months. I just keep crying. I don’t know why.” It’s a feeling of hopelessness. You just feel hopeless. You feel there is no point in living.”

Deepika went on to share her story with the world by going live on TV in India and she was praised for her honesty and bravery.

“I mean, this has two parts,” she said. “One is: I think that’s where people are struggling the most, especially in India, where mental illness is so stigmatized. One creates awareness. Most of us don’t even know that we struggle with mental illness. And second, if we are, to destigmatize it, to let people know it’s okay to seek help and let caregivers know it’s okay for someone to go through this. We also have physical ailments. Our mind is very much a part of our body. But somehow, when it comes to mental illness, we start to treat our minds as if we’re outside of our bodies.”

Meghan replied: “You are right. You know, my husband works a lot with the military community as a veteran and with invisible injuries – they call them that all the time. Right. When you suffer from post-traumatic stress, that’s what you can’t see. And if you can’t see it, it’s just either ignored or swept under the rug.”

Marc Piasecki/WireImage; Raymond Hall/GC images; RichPolk/Getty Deepika Padukone, Constance Wu and Jenny Slate

Constance, who previously opened up about her attempted suicide in 2019 after posting a negative tweet about her sitcom being renewed degrees off the boatShe also spoke to Meghan about the situation, revealing that she seemed “really ungrateful and petty and naughty” for not being happy about the show’s renewal. (Behind the scenes, she says she was the victim of sexual harassment at the hands of a producer.)

“It took something like a message from an actress, a colleague of mine, an Asian actress, basically saying I’d become a disgrace to my race and that — you know, I’d actually be better off dead. It made me feel like being me didn’t deserve to be alive anymore,” the actress said.

Constance, who is a mother to a 2-year-old daughter, cried as she spoke about the issue.

“If you weren’t crying I would be worried,” the Duchess of Sussex told her. “Right? Because so much of that, especially based on what you’re talking about, which is when it’s all just building, internalized emotions are building, whether it’s sadness or relief or all. I mean, like — just like when you’re talking about it with your daughter, when you’re watching our kids, that’s the most beautiful thing in the world, even though it might not feel like it right now, when they’re having a breakdown and they’re just screaming and let it all out You let it all out and guess what happens?”

“And then, a second later, they’re like…” Constance replied.

“They’re fine,” Meghan said. “Because they let it out.”

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After a hiatus in releasing new episodes of archetypes Following the death of Queen Elizabeth on September 8, Spotify resumed the podcast last week as Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling joined Meghan in breaking up the “Dragon Lady” trope.

Three episodes of archetypes were released before the monarch’s death, and Meghan welcomed guests Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Mindy Kaling to debunk stereotypes about women.