15 Celebs Tell-All About Their Personal Struggles (And Why They Deserve Our Sympathy)

On the surface, the people who are a part of the Hollywood scene mostly reveal their lives to the public as glamorous and opulent. And their fame need not be mentioned. Even though the majority of people will only see perfect lives when they look at celebrities, for a lot of them this could not be further from the truth. The celebrities on this list have all come from very hard situations or have dealt with hardships that will leave you completely speechless. And when you look at what they have come from, and what they have overcome, to what they have achieved and where they are now, you will have a lot more respect for them as people rather than just celebrities.

This article is meant to show you that with handwork, determination, and dreams, almost anything is possible. You will see that a lot of these celebrities are just like you and me, and if they can make their dreams come true in the face of obstacles so can you. Their stories will definitely make you view them in another, more relatable light: they're human, too! Empathy and sympathy are important for everyone, even for people with seemingly 'perfect' lives.

15 Selena Gomez Has A Serious Autoimmune Disease

Selena Gomez is one of the golden girls of Hollywood. It sometimes seems like she can do no wrong. She certainly has not gotten any of the negative feedback that her peers like Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Demi Lovato have gotten. This does not mean that she has not had her fair share of hardship, though, which she has been very open about.

According to Selena in an interview with Harpers Bazaar, she opened up about her mental health battle and frankly said "I think it's a battle I am going to face the rest of my life. And I am okay with that because I am choosing myself over anything else."

On top of her mental health struggles, Selena also has Lupus, which is a serious autoimmune illness that led to her needing a kidney transplant.

Unfortunately for Selena, her Lupus also compounds her anxiety and depression. Selena has talked about this more than once, and according to NME, she is quoted as saying “As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways. I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks, and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges." Selena has an everyday battle in front of her for the rest of her life.

14 Things Almost Became Too Much For Cara Delevingne

Cara Delevigne was born into a wealthy socialite family and then went on to have everything that so many little girls wish for. She was a beautiful, rich model running around with all the cool celebrities. And her acting career was taking off! What more could a person want from life?

Well, it turns out a person can want a lot more; everything always appears to be greener and better on the other side, especially in the rich and fabulous world of celebrities.

In a candid interview with Vogue, Cara opened up about how she has been struggling with depression her whole life, and when she turned 15 - along with her newfound fame -things came to a head. She told Vogue that her "feelings were so painful" that she would try to avoid them at all costs. On how much her depression has truly affected her, she said "It's like, if anything is good for too long, I prefer to ruin it. I was packing my bags, and suddenly I just wanted to [leave], I had a way, and it was right there in front of me.”

Thankfully, Cara has come out on the other end of her struggles and seems to be thriving as a popular model-turned-actress. She has taken a step back from the spotlight that her peers crave, and we imagine that helped a lot with her mental health.

13 Lady Gaga Is A World Renowned Superstar Living With Chronic Pain

Superstar Lady Gaga is one of the most talented living performers in the world right now, that fact becomes much more impressive when you realize she has been combating chronic pain during the course of her very physically-demanding career. And she not only kept performing, she absolutely killed it!

Years ago Gaga wrote a piece for Billboardwhere she opened up about her mental health struggles, something she has used greatly to promote education and awareness.

Gaga wrote, "I've suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life. I still suffer with it every single day, I just want these kids to know that that depth that they feel as human beings are normal. We were born that way."

And more recently, Gaga has opened up about her battle with fibromyalgia. Fans were able to see first hand who it affects her in her Netflix documentary Five Foot Two. She first revealed she was struggling with fibromyalgia by posting on her Instagram about it, and considering how much of a performer the world knew she was, this was a great shock for everyone. To think she has been able to do everything she has achieved in her career with all these demons and issues is a testament to the strength of her character, and also an inspiration for the rest of us.

12 Jon Hamm Lost Both His Parents By The Age Of 20 - Something That Impacted Him Profoundly

It is extremely difficult to lose a parent when you are a middle-aged person, but it can exponentially worse as a younger adult. Now add to the fact that Jon Hamm did not only lose one parent that young, but two.

According to  ABCNEWS when he was only 10-years-old, he lost his Mother to colon cancer. When Jon Hamm turned 20, right on the cusp of becoming a true adult, he lost his father as well. In an interview with Elle, Jon opened up about how this affected him, and also what he would tell his younger-self facing a future without either parent.

"The best thing you could say is: 'Appreciate it. The struggle is part of the journey.' That's what I've learned in my 40s: This too shall pass."

Jon Hamm, similar to 'The Rock', gives off such an aura of strength, so it can be hard to imagine him having any struggles. But just like The Rock, Hamm has had hard and vulnerable times. And the important take away message from all this is not to pity either of them, but to know that when you have your own struggles you have to help yourself and keep on keeping on. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to keep reaching for it.

11 Kerry Washington Has Dealt With Lack Of Nutrition

Unfortunately, the entertainment industry is rife with lack of nutrition. The demand for physical perfection is high, and Hollywood really sells the idea that to be physically perfect, one must be slim. Kerry's struggles with food did not present themselves in the way that you may imagine, where one might severely limit her intake. It manifested in a very different manner, which the very private actress explained to Essence.

She states,"I used food as a way to cope. There was a lot of guilt and a lot of shame."

Kerry was exercising insane amounts after binge eating copious amounts of food, something that is very stressful on the body. Thankfully, she has come out on the other side of that. Kerry also told Essence, "No matter how bad things are - whether it was the period when I first sought out treatment for my [issues with eating] or when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer or when the engagement dissolved - I know the other side is going to be better." It is the same message of perseverance that other celebrities in this article preach, and as you can see, it all worked out for them. Not to say that they have perfect lives now, because no one does, but they managed to make it through the storms.

10 J.K. Rowling Used Her Own Struggles To Create One Of The Scariest Creatures In Harry Potter

It is easy to look at J.K. Rowling and see a charmed life. After all, she is one of the most successful authors of all time and at this point in her life, she waits for nothing. Rowling came from nothing and quite literally built her life from scratch. According to Medium, Rowling was a single mother living in Edinburgh, Scotland off welfare - you know, the kind of true-life Cinderella story that Hollywood loves.

Often times people wonder how Rowling was creative enough to come up with such a deep, immersive, and detailed world such as the Potter world, but Rowling did not have to look further than herself and her issues.

While she was still a single mom on welfare, Medium reports that Rowling was also struggling with severe depression, from which she drew her inspiration to create the scariest creatures in the Harry Potter world, the dementors. And if you are familiar with Harry Potter and dementors who are the loathsome and terrifying guards at the wizard prison, you will get an understanding of how deep and hopeless her depression was making her feel. For people who have had similar struggles, they must have found a kindred spirit in Rowling and in her beloved characters.

9 Owen Wilson Was Dealing With A Lot Behind-The-Scenes After A Breakup

Owen Wilson is known for being a talented actor whose strengths ultimately lie in comedic acting. And when are you are watching someone always play a funny character on your TV it can hard to reconcile that image of the person with one of them being down and out.

But a couple of years ago, the world was surprised when headlines came out about Owen Wilson essentially hitting rock bottom.

According to Time magazine, Owen was hospitalized back in 2007 when emergency services responded to a call that Owen was going a danger to himself. Around this time his career was booming and he was set to star alongside other comedic heavyweights in Tropic Thunder, which he had to consequently drop out of because of this incident. Usually, there are some signs that a public person is struggling - look at Lindsay Lohan or Justin Bieber - but with Owen, on the tails of his break-up with Kate Hudson, many people believed she was at fault for his rough patch. Owen has stayed tight-lipped about this period in his life, but if his movies and acting are anything to go by, he seems to be doing much better.

8 Sheryl Crow Has Used Her Pain In Her Music

Every good country singer has been through some tough stuff, and Sheryl Crow is a great country singer. According to Telegraph, she has been through a very public and devastating break-up with her fiancé, disgraced athlete Lance Armstrong. She has also been diagnosed with breast cancer - a blow that would take down the strongest person.

But Sheryl keeps on smiling and singing. And even though Crow is considered one of the most successful female singer/songwriters of her time, that does not mean that she was feeling great upon such difficult obstacles in her life.

According to Telegraph, while her musical success was growing, she was also going through periods of heavy depression that took its toll on the artist. It never stopped her, but it did slow her down. As if the first cancer diagnosis wasn't enough, according to the Telegraph doctors also found a benign tumor in Sheryl's brain, which she has chosen not to operate on. The reason she has chosen to leave a benign tumor in her brain? Because it reminds her to live life to the fullest. These days, she is living in Nashville with her sons, is doing mentally and physically well, with both her breast cancer and her depression in remission.

7 Ozzy Osbourne Was Open About His Personal Struggles, That Started As Early As 14 Years Old

Ozzy is far from being the only musician that has combated some pretty big demons, but most of them would tell you that without their personal struggles, they would not be able to create the music that the world loves today. There is a price for everything, and often times the price for genuine and creative art is the pain. Ozzy had his fair share of this, so much so that at a young age he was ready to leave.

According to his biography, written by Sue Crawford, Ozzy came from a tough and impoverished neighborhood; not only were the streets around him tough, so was his home life - thanks to his father.

Both Ozzy and his mother suffered throughout his childhood, and Ozzy took it out on other kids. When he was 14-years-old, Ozzy tried to leave the world, but his Father walked in and stopped him.

If it wasn't for Ozzy's Father, the world may have never have gotten one of the greatest rock musicians of all time. When Ozzy became a rock star, even though he was financially in a better spot, the spotlight brought on a slew of other issues, and he was still carrying around the demons from his childhood.

Finally at 69-years-old Ozzy has seemed to calm down, with longtime wife Sharon Osbourne by his side through thick and thin.

6 Paris Jackson Lost Her Father, Michael Jackson, At Only 11 Years Old And It Took A Heavy Toll On Her

Paris Jackson and her two brothers, Prince and Blanket, shared a very private childhood thanks to their father's demand for it. For years, the children were not photographed without their faces covered. And then, in 2009, the musical icon Michael Jackson - Prince, Paris, and Blanket's dad - shockingly passed away, and his children's lives were forever changed. They were thrust in the spotlight, and Paris has certainly grown into it. These days, the It Girl is photographed constantly and has become a big player in Hollywood. She has used her platform to be very open about her struggles with mental health after her father's passing.

According to a Rolling Stone interview, Paris went through a very dark time; “It was just self-hatred, low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn't do anything right, not thinking I was worthy [… ] anymore,” she said. “I was crazy. I was actually crazy. I was going through a lot of, like, teen angst. And I was also dealing with my depression and my anxiety without any help.” If her Instagram is anything to go by - and she does seem to be very honest and open on her social media - Paris is doing much better these days and living her best life.

5 Keanu Reeves Lifestory Is Rife With Heartbreaking Loss

There could be a tragic dramatic movie written based on Keanu Reeve's actual life. The brooding actor, who mostly keeps a low profile outside of his roles, has led a life that has been touched by tragedy and loss. According to Higher Perspectives, his first loss was when his father left his family when Keanu was only 3-years-old. Twenty years later, he lost his best friend, River Phoenix, at a very young age.

On Reddit, someone asked Keanu about losing his dear friend River, and Keanu responded, "He was a remarkable human, person, and actor. We got along very well, and I miss him. I think of him often."

The losses would continue for Keanu. Higher Perspective reports that he met a girl named Jennifer Syme back in 1998, and the two fell in love and got pregnant. The baby was lost a month before its due date, and that loss would eventually tear Keanu and Jennifer apart. Just over a year later, Jennifer tragically passed away in a car accident. We told you his life reads as a tragic story. Keanu kept working at his craft, though, and has become one of the most successful actors in Hollywood, proving that things that happen to us only stop us if we let them.

4 Charlize Theron Had A Less Than Ideal Childhood

Charlize Theron is one of the most beautiful and talented actresses in Hollywood. She seems like she has everything. She has two beautiful children, a booming career, and jaw-dropping beauty. It was not always this way for Charlize though, and the story of her childhood will shock you. She has not talked about it too much but has been open about the fact that her childhood experiences have shaped who she is today. Charlize grew up in a very toxic situation and saw a lot of fighting between her parents. One time, when she was only 15-years-old, her parents got in such a bad fight that her mother's actions actually led to severe consequences. And 15-year-old Charlize was there to see it all happen.

Speaking in an interview to a French TV Station, TF1, she had this to say about her experience and how it related to her role in the movie Dark Places: "In the film, my character goes through this event when she's 8 years old, and it really is examining what a trauma like that would do to a child, especially when she's expected to speak about it. And that's definitely something that I can relate to, that's definitely something that I've experienced in my life. As far as [the movie goes] [… ] there's a murder mystery, and my [mother's] situation was a very unfortunate incident with self-defense."

3 Leighton Meester Came From Nothing And It Left An Impact

Just because a person is living a glitzy and glamorous life right now, does not mean that they have always been in that situation. This is especially true for Leighton Meester, better known as Blair Waldorf from the Gossip Girl TV series. Leighton came from a rough background. According to NY Mag, her mother, father, and aunt were involved in some international criminal activities that led to all of them getting arrested.

In fact, her Aunt Judy actually escaped from her confinement and became the first woman in America to end up on 'U.S. Marshal's 15 Most Wanted List.'

Leighton's mother was in prison while pregnant with Leighton, although she did give birth to her outside of prison walls. According to Marie Claire, after Leighton was born, her mother, Connie, went back to prison for the rest of her 16-month sentence, and Leighton went to a halfway house for the first three months of her life. She was then released into her grandmother's custody until her mother finished her sentence. Leighton's young life was plagued with poverty but also hard work and determination. If Leighton Meester is not a great example of the American Dream, we are not sure what is.

2 Demi Lovato Has Used Her Struggles With Mental Health And Also Promoted Awareness And Education

It seems that almost no child star grows up in Hollywood without ending up with some kind of an issue - but hey, that's the industry. It is cruel to adults, so you can imagine how cruel it is to children.

Demi has been in the industry since she was very young, and she has maintained a successful career even though she went through some extremely hard times. But instead of letting her dark moments defeat, she is living her best life now and promoting awareness about mental health issues so that she can help other people.

According to Elle, Demi Lovato was the leader of an important initiative called Be Vocal: Speak Up For Your Mental Health. She definitely turned lemons into lemonade. Last year Demi went on The Ellen Degeneres Show and told the world how she is doing on the other side of her struggles. "I am bipolar and proud and I live well with it." Demi is very active in promoting awareness about mental health issues.

According to Demi Lovato during an interview with Allure, she knew she could help people by opening up. She said, "I realized I could help people. It creates a conversation - there's an opening for children themselves to actually come forward and say, 'This is what I'm dealing with.' Or 'I have a problem. I need help.'”

1 The Rock Surprised Everyone When He Revealed His Struggles With Depression

The Rock seems like he is everywhere these days, to the point where we have to wonder how this man has time to do anything. It feels like there is a new movie coming out with him starring in it once a month! The charismatic and gregarious wrestler turned actor recently opened up about a fact that no one saw coming from him. When you look at The Rock, all a person tends to see is a megawatt smile and the human embodiment of confidence. But this is an important lesson because we can never assume that someone's life is all peaches and cream.

According to The Rock's social media, he decided to reveal his past history with mental health-related issues after filming a poignant scene about depression in his TV show, Ballers. 

Taking to Instagram to reveal his struggles to the world, The Rock himself states that mental health-related issues actually run in his family, and when he was only 15-years-old he lost his mother. After posting on Instagram, revealing that he struggled with depression, he talked to Express about his revelation and the role that depression played in his life: "Struggle and pain are real. I was devastated and depressed. I reached a point where I didn't want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly."

References: She Knows,Marie Claire, NY Mag, NME, MSN, Huffington Post, Elle, Huffington Post, Hollywood Reporter, ABC News, People, Essence,Time, Telegraph, Medium, EW,Time, Higher Perspectives,