How a cat cured Lupita Nyong’o’s depression

“I was flirting with depression,” she revealed.
Pop Culture & Art | June 05, 2024

Image: AFP

Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o has shared her journey of conquering her fear of cats and healing from a devastating breakup, which prompted her mother to fly from Kenya to support her.

In an ironic twist, the star revealed this while speaking with Glamour about her upcoming role in A Quiet Place: Day One, set to release on June 28, in which her character owns a cat.

“I asked the director Michael Sarnoski if there was any way that we could change the animal,” Nyong’o said. “I suggested an armadillo; he was not having it.”

However, after undergoing some intense “cat therapy,” Nyong’o became so enamored with the animal that she adopted her own following the shoot.

This happened during a particularly heartbreaking breakup, which she announced on Instagram in October last year, revealing her split from boyfriend Selema Masekela.

 

“I was flirting with depression,” she revealed. “I wasn’t there yet, but I was flirting with it. And I had a voice say in my head, ‘Get a cat.'”

Nyong’o credits her cat Yoyo with lifting her out of a "super-low" period as she dealt with a "severely broken" heart.

Her mother rushed to be with her from Kenya, along with one of her closest friends.

When Lupita arrived at Best Friends Animal Society to find a pet, she noticed a sign.“There was a poster that said something like, ‘Not over your ex? Foster a cat.’ It was spot-on."

Load Next Story

Join Us

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed or derived from. Unless otherwise stated, all content is copyrighted © 2024 The Express Tribune.

FOLLOW US