The former footballer talked her ability to disassociate and suicidal thoughts
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE VIA INSTAGRAM (@ASHLYNHARRIS24)
Just over a year ago, Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger got divorced. Earlier this year, Ashlyn seemed to have moved on as her relationship with One Tree Hill’s Sophia Bush was confirmed. But we’re now getting more info on the former footballers’ marriage, as Ashlyn dove into her feelings about the breakup, and subsequent therapy, on the Naked Sports podcast.
Ashlyn said that she had become “very good at disassociating” during her marriage. She added: “It was my ability to sit and suffer… my ability to serve other people before my own wants and needs, which I genuinely think probably kept me in that marriage for as long as it did.”
This was one of the reasons Ashlyn started seeing a therapist. She also saw one to deal with the intense reaction fans had to her divorce. She shared that the online bullying was the hardest thing she’d ever been through and led to suicidal thoughts.
Another conversation with her therapist involved Ali’s Self cover story. Ashlyn felt hurt and misrepresented by the story, but said her therapist explained that this was Ali’s experience and “she’s allowed to grieve this way”.
“We’re going to have two versions of this that are going to be different,” said Ashlyn. “And she’s never gonna be okay with my version and I’m never gonna be okay with hers. But we never spoke the same language, which is how we got here.”
On her ex-wife, Ashlyn said: “I want her to be happy, I want nothing but the best for her. I care about her genuinely. There is a reason we chose to have children together, there’s a reason we were together for a decade. Some relationships just don’t work and that’s okay.”
DIVA magazine celebrates 30 years in print in 2024. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
