Taraji P Henson says she’s healing, not looking to date
'We were going to get married! That was five years of my life,' Henson said
Taraji P. Henson revealed that she has no interest in dating and is focused on her healing.
In an interview with Extra, Henson opened up about her suicidal thoughts during the pandemic in 2020. She admitted that she “couldn’t cope anymore” and sought help.
“Well, you know, you take each moment. It’s not like I wake up every day and I’m happy, but thank God I’m, I’m in therapy… and because I’m in therapy, I can now identify when I’m about to start to tip down,” Henson said.
Henson announced her split from ex-fiancée Kelvin Hayden in 2020 and credited therapy for helping her process her feelings. In regards to dating again, she said, “That’s the last thing I’m thinking about.”
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“I don’t mean that in a negative way, but I’ve always been the type of woman that when I get out of a relationship, I need to process. I need a ‘wait, what happened?’ We were going to get married! That was five years of my life,” Henson said. “I don’t just go, ‘Ohhhh. Okay. Next.’ I can’t, and I’m not judging — that’s just my process.”
Henson is the host of Peace of Mind with Taraji on Facebook with Tracie Jade Jenkins where she has profound conversations with guests about mental health issues and provides resources and tools from therapists.
In 2018, Henson founded the Boris Lawrence Foundation with Jenkins in an effort to “eradicate the stigma around mental health issues in the African-American community.”
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The foundation was named in honor of Henson’s father, who suffered from mental health issues after fighting in the Vietnam War.
Jenkins, who is an executive director of the foundation, is someone Henson credits with encouraging her to change her vocabulary when discussing her own mental health.
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