Evan Rachel Wood has shared a number of powerful posts about being in an abusive relationship, in which she revealed that she was so distressed she self-harmed. The Westworld star shared a number of posts with the hashtag #IAmNotOk, a movement which highlights domestic abuse. "I'm not ok because no matter how much work I do I'm still searching for some sort of peace and I'm searching to feel safe," she admitted in a video to her 550,000 Instagram followers. "I'm still trying to put all this behind me but I don't know if I'll ever be fully able to do that. I'm not OK because I don't remember what it feels like to not be scared."
The actress also posted a shoot from 2010 for Elle magazine, where she was wearing Gucci, to show that while she looked healthy and happy posing for the camera, the reality was entirely different. "The day of this photoshoot, I was so weakened by an abusive relationship," she captioned the collage. "I was emaciated, severely depressed, and could barely stand. I fell into a pool of tears and was sent home for the day."
In the post that shows what appear to be self-harm scars, she added: “2 years into my abusive relationship I resorted to self harm. 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 relentless abuse and I was too terrified to leave.” The star has urged other women to come forward with their stories and ‘seek justice’, along with sharing a link to a new Instagram page set up for the #IAmNotOK movement. She tweeted: “#IAmNotOk because I will never see justice. I didnt process and recover from my trauma in time and the SOL prevents me from reporting. So please dont keep telling me to go to the police or press charges. I can’t. I can only try and make sure it doesn’t happen to others."
She also spoke about #IAmNotOk with fellow actor Dax Shepherd on his podcast Armchair Expert. “When it happens it’s very complicated,” the 31-year-old said. “You lie to yourself, you’re being lied to, you’re being gas-lit in a dangerous situation. You lose a sense of self and your sense of reality because you’re stuck in this nightmare.”