Madonna has been in countless sad breakups before, but her custody battle with Guy Ritchie nearly pushed her over the edge.
The couple had a son, Rocco, in 2000, and also adopted a baby named David from Malawi in 2006. The Queen of Pop is opening up about how their divorce and subsequent custody battle took an emotional toll on her.
“I actually contemplated suicide,” the Like a Virgin singer shockingly admitted. Madonna says that was strange, given that she is not an emo person, but was going through what felt like an unbearable amount of sadness.
Madonna was in a lot of pain during her custody battle over son Rocco with ex-husband Guy Ritchie
Divorce can have a long-lasting impact on a child, but the parents can feel the brunt of that sadness just as much.
That was the case with Madonna during her divorce proceedings with Guy. On Monday’s episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, the Material Girl singer got candid about what that custody battle did to her. “Someone trying to take my child away from me, it was like, ‘They might as well just kill me,’” she said.
Her emotional custody battle came during her Rebel Heart Tour. She says that she would be sobbing on her dressing room floor before having to go on stage, while hashing out legal matters with her lawyers behind the scenes.
In 2015, Rocco refused to go from London to New York to spend time with his mom over the holidays. A judge intervened, ordering him to return to the Big Apple. The exes eventually came to an understanding, allowing Rocco to live in the UK. His parents were married from 2000 until 2008.
Thankfully, Madonna says she doesn’t have suicidal thoughts like that anymore. She credits her spiritual journey for helping her through those rough patches. These days, Madonna views those difficult experiences as lessons rather than punishments.
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED TO HEAR MADONNA HAD PREVIOUSLY CONTEMPLATED SUICIDE?
