Monday, 10 December 2007

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Eva Mendes: I had to see a therapist - or quit acting

Actress needed professional help to deal with fame

Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes has revealed the pressure of fame forced her to choose between going into therapy, or giving up acting altogether.

The Hitch star, currently starring alongside Joaquin Phoenix in We Own The Night, started getting professional treatment two years ago after fearing she had become ‘weird’.

‘The recognition, being famous, call it what you will, that was really difficult for me to deal with,’ she says.

‘I thought, I either quit acting – which I’m not prepared to do – or I get some help and some tools to help me deal with the fame and weirdness.’

Now the 33-year-old has become one of therapy’s biggest advocates.

‘It has helped me so much. I really love it and I’m very vocal about it. I see a therapist once a week – or I speak to her if I’m not around. And I want to encourage people to do it,’ she tells You magazine.

‘I just think it’s a healthy way to be and even when everything is OK, I still go. It’s great to have somebody who is completely objective coming up with guidelines for you.’

Kate Burlaga