Actress Pebetse Matlaila opens up about her harrowing experiences in a recent episode of the Gamechangers podcast. During the interview, she discusses her book, a near-death encounter, contemplating suicide, and the abusive nature of her past marriage.
Matlaila reveals that she faced disbelief from others when she spoke about her ex-husband's abusive behavior.
She added: “If he walked through this door, you wouldn’t believe he is the person I am talking about. He is so humble.”
She emphasizes the stark contrast between his public persona and private actions, stating that he appeared humble and unassuming to outsiders.
The actress discloses that her marriage lasted a mere nine months, with the relationship itself lasting only three months before they tied the knot. Despite recognizing warning signs, she chose to overlook them. One significant issue was her ex-husband's addiction problem.
“We were married officially for nine months, but my relationship with him as boyfriend and girlfriend was about three months.
“Unfortunately for me, I knew the red flags before I even got married to him. He had an addiction problem,” she said.
Matlaila shares that she made the difficult decision to leave the marriage while still pregnant with her youngest daughter. This period led her into a deep state of depression, as she was dependent on her mother for support since she was unemployed at the time.
During her lowest point, Matlaila admits to contemplating the unthinkable.
“My life was so much of a mess that I remember thinking If I can manage to kill these children painlessly and then kill myself, then they wouldn’t be dealing with this.
“I felt like I failed as a mom. I felt like I had messed up my life so badly that I had nothing else to live for, and I remember talking to my therapist and saying I was scared of myself and that I might hurt my kids because I had made such a mess of my life.”
The actress detailed a critical turning point in her life when she "died" for three minutes during the delivery of her youngest child. Matlaila experienced preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related high blood pressure disorder.
“I remember not being able to breathe and I pulled the scrubs of the nurse that was next to me and… and it was lights out for me. I didn’t even know that I was dead, only for my mom to come narrate a story to me about what happened…”
Pebetse Matlaila's candid interview sheds light on the hardships she endured and the profound impact they had on her mental and emotional well-being. Her story serves as a reminder of the importance of speaking out about abuse, seeking help, and finding the strength to rebuild one's life.
