8 Stars Who Have Openly Spoken About Toxic Relationships

Find out what these stars had to say about their toxic relationships…

1. LiliCollins

Lily Collins says she was once in a toxic relationship in which she was subjected to “verbal and emotional abuse” that made her feel “very small”. Looking back, Lily says her then-boyfriend silenced her feelings and even stirred up emotions like “panic” and “anxiety” — and it’s something that still affects her, even though she’s in a healthy relationship now.

“He would call me ‘Little Lily’ … and he would use horrible words about me in terms of what I wear and would call me a whore and all that stuff,” she said on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast. “There were terrible words and then there were disparaging words. I got very still and comfortable in the stillness and felt like I had to shrink down to feel super safe.”

2. Bella Hadid

Bella Hadid has broken a cycle of toxic and abusive relationships. She says that because of her tendency to please people, she often lets relationships become unhealthy in all aspects of her life. Reflecting on the situation, she believes it stems from growing up around men who made her feel like her “voice is less important than her voice.”

“I kept going back to men – and women too – who had abused me, and that’s where philanthropy came in,” Hadid said on the Victoria’s Secret podcast.VS voices.” “I started to have no boundaries anymore, not just sexually, physically, emotionally, but then it went into my workspace…. I started to please people with my job and it was everyone else’s opinion of me that mattered except for my own because essentially I was putting my worth in everyone else’s hands and that was the downside of that.

Bella was eventually able to break the cycle through therapy, meditation, and getting off social media — cultivating a life that felt “true” to her.

3. Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish admits that one of the times she felt most trapped in her life was when she was “in a relationship that was very emotionally abusive.” She even wrote and narrated her song “Your Power” about the situation British Vogue that the lyrics are “an open letter to people who take advantage of this – mostly men”.

“I want people to listen to me. And don’t just try to figure out who I’m talking about, because that’s not the point. It’s really not about a person at all. You might think, ‘It’s because she’s in the music industry’ – no, dude. It’s everywhere,” she explained. “I don’t know a girl or woman who hasn’t had a weird experience or a really bad experience. And men too – little boys are taken advantage of all the time.”

4. Debby Ryan

Debby Ryan has dealt with a toxic relationship in the past — albeit with a boyfriend rather than a romantic partner. She says that over time the friendship became “increasingly destructive and emotionally and mentally abusive.” The boyfriend called her up to 40 times when they weren’t together and threatened to harm himself if she didn’t spend time with him.

“I thought, ‘I’m a strong woman and I’m a producer.’ I never thought this would happen to me and it absolutely happened to me.It was quite late in the game when I realized that this wasn’t healthy, that this wasn’t a good situation and that I was in a relationship that was inherently was abusive,” Debby divided.

5. Reese Witherspoon

When Reese Witherspoon was a teenager, she found herself in a toxic relationship that had destroyed her self-esteem. Though it was difficult, she says, she eventually decided to walk away before it affected her further.

“A line was drawn in the sand and it was crossed, and my brain just switched, and I knew it was going to be very difficult, but I just couldn’t keep going,” Reese said OWN’s Super Soul Conversations. “I was a different person too. It changed me on a cellular level, the fact that I stood up for myself… Leaving those situations [isn’t] simply because it comes with self-doubt, especially when someone hurts your self-esteem… I had no self-esteem, you know? And I’m a different person now.”

6. Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks was once in a toxic relationship where she and her partner kept breaking up and getting back together. Looking back, she says they probably broke up “14 to 15 times” and “there were things he said” that made her feel like she “had to go back” after they broke up. She says her ex knew the power he had over her.

“He told me that’s exactly what he’s doing. That he knows how to break a woman down.Uncensored.”

7. Nicky Minaj

Looking back on a past relationship, Nicki Minaj spoke about helping women in toxic relationships. While she encouraged her fans to “root” women so they learn their worth rather than tear them down, she opened up about her own past unhealthy relationship.

“I used to really think love has to hurt… A man should make you feel safe, not afraid,” Nicki wrote on Twitter. “A man who loves you doesn’t: 1. humiliate you on social media, 2. hit you, 3. cheat on you, 4. talk/humiliate you out of your name because of his own insecurities to lower your self-esteem , 5. Hide his phone, passwords, whereabouts, etc.

8th. Olivia Culpo

On Olivia Culpo’s show The Culpo Sisters, she opened up about a toxic past relationship in which her partner did “really horrible, horrible things.” She says she was “literally made to feel like a subhuman.” Looking back on her decision to be open about the unhealthy partnership, Olivia says she didn’t expect to talk about it.

“Somehow the floodgates opened and it just gushed out and I’m proud to speak out about it,” she said E! News. “I hope that I can help other people who are in similar situations. You just have to give thanks for such terrible experiences. They make you stronger. They make you better and let you appreciate what you have now and never make the same mistakes twice.”