Ileana opens up about depression, marriage and pregnancy
When Ileana’s career was at its peak, she took a decision to prioritise family over work and conquer depression that stemmed from superficial judgments
She was all of 18 when her acting career took off, landing her in the cobweb of celebrity hood. But actor Ileana D'Cruz has managed to escape it her way – by prioritising family over work, maintaining a slow pace, conquering depression that stemmed from superficial judgments by faceless people, and ignoring constant rumours about her marriage and pregnancy.
"I'm not pregnant. In fact, I would have been super happy if I was. It's something I have always wanted. But there's still time. I still don't want to become pregnant yet," said Ileana.
Ileana says a relationship is about restraint and respect.
"There's respect there," Ileana said, adding: "I had a different perception of what a relationship or love is like. I was all giddy-headed and fairytale about it in my head, but it's so different. There's a lot of restraint that you've got to have, compromising in certain situations – and you've got to have a lot of respect."
Respect, in her checklist for a relationship, precedes trust and love.
"I feel we've sort of evolved into that," asserted Ileana, who mostly avoids opening up on her personal life to keep it away from being "frivolised".
It was Andrew, in fact, who egged on Ileana to see a therapist when depression struck her.
"Things had got so bad that I was pushing people away. I didn't realise how much I was alienating people. I would constantly refuse to go out when friends would call. At one point, I didn't realise I was at home for a week... After that, I got an ultimatum from him," shared Ileana.
She is calmer today.
"Now I don't look at life where I'd say: 'Oh gosh, my life's over if I don't have films any more'. My approach is that there's so much more for me to do... It (depression) really was in a way godsent... That depression and that phase in my life, as horrible as it was needed in a way to switch things back and change who I was as person." Now she enjoys balancing her personal and professional life at a pace she controls.
