A former ’90s bombshell has laid bare her secret mental health battle – revealing she spent years struggling with bipolar disorder behind the scenes.

Gabrielle Anwar, 55, was one of the most well-known faces in Hollywood throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

But now, she has revealed that she struggled immensely to handle the massive fame and attention that was thrust upon her while dealing with undiagnosed bipolar disorder.

During a recent essay for Business Insider, Gabrielle admitted that she felt like something was wrong since she was a young girl, but her parents ‘didn’t have the tools to help her.’

She said she looks back at photos of herself as a child and sees someone who was ‘hollow and vacant.’

‘By the time I hit adolescence, I was emotionally unstable. I believe I had my first manic episode around age 11 when I started menstruating,’ she recalled. 

‘I was expelled from school and deeply ashamed. I began to realize that my reactions were disproportionate; everything was either euphoric or devastating. There was no middle ground.’

The star, originally from the UK, started acting at only 16, appearing in a British miniseries called Hideaway and starring in Paul McCartney’s music video for his song Pretty Little Head as a teen. Her film debut was in the 1988 movie Manifesto.

A former '90s bombshell has laid bare her secret mental health battle - revealing she spent years struggling with bipolar disorder behind the scenes

A former ’90s bombshell has laid bare her secret mental health battle – revealing she spent years struggling with bipolar disorder behind the scenes

Gabrielle Anwar, 55, was one of the most well-known faces in Hollywood throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. She's seen in 1992

Gabrielle Anwar, 55, was one of the most well-known faces in Hollywood throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. She’s seen in 1992

Soon after her career took off Gabrielle started dating fellow actor Craig Sheffer, and she moved to Hollywood to be with him. 

She then became a massive Hollywood starlet, appearing in If Looks Could Kill, Scent of a Woman alongside Al Pacino, the horror flick Body Snatchers, the rom-com For Love or Money, and The Three Musketeers throughout the ’90s, amongst other things.

But behind the scenes, Gabrielle said her mental health issues only worsened. 

‘Acting made me feel alive, even as I battled depression privately,’ she reflected. ‘On screen, I could channel my emotional extremes into my characters. But behind the scenes, I was drowning.’ 

Gabrielle got pregnant in 1993 from a ‘one night stand’ during a break from her relationship with Craig, and her daughter, named Willow, was born later that year.

While she and Craig got back together and tried to raise Willow as a couple, she admitted that their ‘relationship wasn’t great.’

They eventually split and she moved on with actor John Verea, whom she wed in 2000. 

She and John went on to welcomed two kids together, a son named Hugo and a daughter named Paisley, but they divorced in 2005.

She acted in If Looks Could Kill, Scent of a Woman alongside Al Pacino (seen), the horror flick Body Snatchers, and The Three Musketeers throughout the '90s, amongst other things

She acted in If Looks Could Kill, Scent of a Woman alongside Al Pacino (seen), the horror flick Body Snatchers, and The Three Musketeers throughout the ’90s, amongst other things

But now, she has revealed that she struggled to handle the massive fame and attention that was thrust upon her while dealing with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. She's seen in 2007

But now, she has revealed that she struggled to handle the massive fame and attention that was thrust upon her while dealing with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. She’s seen in 2007

Soon after her career took off Gabrielle started dating fellow actor Craig Sheffer (seen in 1995), but after she welcomed her daughter, she admitted that their 'relationship wasn't great'

Soon after her career took off Gabrielle started dating fellow actor Craig Sheffer (seen in 1995), but after she welcomed her daughter, she admitted that their ‘relationship wasn’t great’

Gabrielle soon hit an all time low and checked herself into a psychiatric hospital. It was there that she was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

‘It was both a relief and a heartbreak. Relief that my pain had a name. Heartbreak that there was no cure,’ she admitted of learning that she was bipolar.

Despite finally having a diagnosis, Gabrielle admitted that she ‘resisted medication’ for years, which only made things worse.

‘I was vegan, holistic, and saw pharmaceuticals as a flaw, something shameful,’ she explained.

‘And honestly, I didn’t want to lose the highs of mania; they made me feel powerful. 

‘But the lows were unbearable. I experienced violent rages that frightened the people I loved.

‘I once punched my now-husband [Shareef Malnik] in the face twice during an episode early in our relationship.

‘I thought he’d walk away. Instead, he stayed. He loved all of me, even the broken parts.’

Gabrielle started dating Shareef, son of businessman Alvin Malnik, in 2010, and they tied the knot five years later in 2015.

She eventually agreed to start taking medication but said it took a while to find the ‘right brand, dosage, and combination.’

During a recent essay for Business Insider, Gabrielle (seen recently) said, 'On screen, I could channel my emotional extremes into my characters. But behind the scenes, I was drowning'

During a recent essay for Business Insider, Gabrielle (seen recently) said, ‘On screen, I could channel my emotional extremes into my characters. But behind the scenes, I was drowning’

Gabrielle started dating Shareef Malnik, son of businessman Alvin Malnik, in 2010, and they tied the knot five years later in 2015. They're seen together recently

Gabrielle started dating Shareef Malnik, son of businessman Alvin Malnik, in 2010, and they tied the knot five years later in 2015. They’re seen together recently

'I used to think I was broken. Now I know I'm whole,' she concluded. 'I'm not perfect, but I'm here, I'm healthy, and I'm doing the work. And that, to me, is the real happy ending'

‘I used to think I was broken. Now I know I’m whole,’ she concluded. ‘I’m not perfect, but I’m here, I’m healthy, and I’m doing the work. And that, to me, is the real happy ending’

‘It was a process, and I want people to know that. Healing doesn’t happen overnight,’ she said.

Looking back, Gabrielle said what she regretted most was not being there for her children.

She recalled being ‘consumed with survival and chasing success’ rather than focusing on being a mom – but she has now found a new purpose in being a grandmother.

‘My daughter and I have rebuilt our relationship, something we once thought impossible,’ she shared. 

‘Now, we’re in a beautiful place. And I get to be the kind of loving, present force for my granddaughter (who was born in 2024) that I wasn’t able to be for my kids.’

As for her career, she starred in the seventh season of Once Upon a Time and the 2019 flick The Last Summer, but hasn’t acted since then.

‘I used to think I was broken. Now I know I’m whole,’ she concluded. ‘I’m not perfect, but I’m here, I’m healthy, and I’m doing the work. And that, to me, is the real happy ending.’