Actress Anna Kendrick has spoken about her previous toxic relationship and how she confronted the woman she suspected her ex cheated with.
Appearing on the Armchair Expert Podcast with Dax Shephard, the Pitch Perfect star spoke about discovering text messages between her ex-partner and another woman. "I ended up discovering some capital T truth, and was exposed to a year-long text exchange, it was actually way worse than I even thought," Kendrick says.
The actress's ex had texted another woman saying "After a week of f*****g you I wanna blow up my life for you, just say the word and we'll ride off into the sunset together." She told the podcast host how she made the decision to email this woman, and ask her to speak with her.
"I ended up emailing this young woman and saying I just think it's fair that you know that I know, I don't put this at your doorstep, I very much lay this at his doorstep, I don't know why we would ever be in a room together, but if we were, I just kind of need you to know. If I were you I wouldn't want to talk to me, but if you ever wanted to talk I'm more than willing." To her surprise, the woman replied to Kendrick's email saying "Yes- can I call you?"
The women spoke on the phone for an hour and the experience became a healing one for Kendrick. "She was just like 'I'm so embarrassed, I'm so sorry, this was a mistake'. ..even though I had seen it in black and white, it was infinitely more valuable to me, and it landed finally in my body hearing her say it," Kendrick says.
Kendrick went on to explain the relief this conversation gave her, as it proved her suspicions were not unfounded, and she was not the paranoid person her ex-partner had accused her of being. "My whole body just went 'You can grieve. You're not crazy. You're safe'."
The actress spoke on the podcast in detail about her experience of an abusive relationship, her understanding of 'gaslighting', and how she coped with the trauma incurred by this relationship. The full conversation can be heard here.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can find support from the Women's Aid Free 24-hour helpline 1800 341900 or contact the Men's Aid National Helpline on 01 554 3811.
