Kaley Cuoco Recalls Struggling with Depression During Divorce: 'I Literally Thought I Was Gonna Die'

"I woke up that morning, I was so depressed and so sad I couldn't even breathe," the actress shared

NEED TO KNOW

• Kaley Cuoco is opening up about difficulties she experienced following her 2022 divorce — including depression right before a big premiere
• The Big Bang Theory alum, 40, spoke candidly on The Drew Barrymore Show about how she found love again following her divorce from Karl Cook
• “I woke up that morning, I was so depressed and so sad I couldn’t even breathe, and I was just lying on the floor. I literally thought I was gonna die,” Cuoco recalled

Kaley Cuoco is opening up about difficulties she experienced during her 2022 divorce — including depression.

During a Monday, Feb. 9, appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show, the Big Bang Theory alum, 40, spoke candidly about how her mental health journey following her divorce from Karl Cook in 2022.

"I had like the crazy story when this is a handful of years ago, when I said that I was going through my divorce… it was the premiere of the second season of Flight Attendant," she said, referring to the April 2022 premiere of the HBO Max series.

"I woke up that morning, I was so depressed and so sad I couldn't even breathe, and I was just lying on the floor. I literally thought I was gonna die, I really did," she shared. "I said, 'What am I doing?' And it was like the worst morning of my life, but knowing the night was coming, it was supposed to be the best night of my life. It's so crazy those things sometimes happen at the same time."

Cuoco recalled her team stepping in to help her get ready for the event.

"I couldn't get up," she continued. "I'm like, 'I can't go. I can't go anywhere.' I just blew up my life. My life's over. I truly thought that."

At the time, the 8 Simple Rules alum thought she was "never getting married again, never gonna have kids."

"I knew when I was lying on that floor in my house, I thought, 'Oh my God, this is what they talk about. This is the lowest point I could get,' " she shared — before revealing that she met her now-fiancé Tom Pelphrey just three weeks later.

"That's, like, supposed to be the best night ever of my career, and I literally saw my soul leave my body," Cuoco added. "It still chokes me up because I can remember it so clearly, but it made me a whole new person."

During her difficult time, Cuoco learned that it's okay to have a change heart — especially after declaring that you'll never get married again.

"You know what, guys, sometimes you just change your mind and that's okay," she said. " … You probably didn't know I was lying on the floor before my premiere, ready to die … But it takes a long time to figure that out and a lot of forgiveness."

The Flight Attendant star publicly confirmed her relationship with Ozark actor Pelphrey in May 2022, and in March 2023, the couple welcomed their daughter, Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey.

They then got engaged more than one year after Matilda's arrival in August 2024.

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Prior to her marriage to Cook, Cuoco was also married to former tennis player Ryan Sweeting from December 2013 to September 2015.

Since she and Pelphrey went public with their relationship, Cuoco has been candid about her love for the actor. Speaking to PEOPLE in November, the star shared that she and her fiancé "would love to find" a project to work on together in the future.

"We're actually actively searching. It has to be the right one," she said on Nov. 7. "It has to be special, but 100%. There's no one I'd rather work with than Tom."

She adds, "In fact, I'm jealous of everyone that gets to work with him because he's the best."

Pelphrey echoed a similar sentiment, telling PEOPLE in September, "If you would’ve told me 15 years ago that I could be with the love of my life and have the most perfect baby and get to do what I love, it’s wild. You’re living your dream. And I’m very conscious of that."

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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