Evan Rachel Wood Opens Up About Past Abusive Relationship and Self-Harm

Evan Rachel Wood is opening up about the abuse she suffered during a past relationship.

Using the hashtag #IAmNotOk, the Westworld actress took to Twitter on Monday to share her story of abuse in order to raise awareness for domestic violence.

“2 years into my abusive relationship I resorted to self harm,” Wood wrote along with a photo of herself during that time period, showing scars on her arm. “When my abuser would threaten or attack me, I cut my wrist as a way to disarm him. It only made the abuse stop temporarily. At that point I was desperate to stop the abuse and I was too terrified to leave.”

Wood, who has testified before Congress on the topic of sexual assault, also shared a series of pictures from a past photoshoot.

“The day of this photoshoot, I was so weakened by an abusive relationship,” she tweeted. “I was emaciated, severely depressed, and could barely stand. I fell into a pool of tears and was sent home for the day. #IAmNotOk.”

Wood also opened up about domestic abuse during the latest episode of Dax Shepard‘s podcast, Armchair Expert.

“I’ve been studying law this year,” Wood shared. “I do a lot of domestic violence advocacy work, and part of that is learning everything you can about the laws to see what’s working and what’s not.”

“I’m a survivor myself and it wasn’t until very recently that I really came to terms with everything and was even able to identify what had happened,” Wood went on to tell Shepard. “When it happens, it’s very complicated and you lie to yourself, you’re being lied to, you’re being gaslit, you’re in a dangerous situation…you lose a sense of self and a sense of reality because you’re stuck in this kind of nightmare for a while.”

Back in 2016, Wood wrote a letter to Rolling Stone about sexual assault. 

“Yes. I have been raped,” she shared. “By a significant other while we were together, and on a separate occasion, by the owner of a bar.”