Jada Pinkett Explains How She Redefined Herself After Feeling ‘Depleted’ in Marriage to Will Smith

They’ve been one of Hollywood’s strongest couples for the last few decades, but Jada Pinkett Smith — who has been married to Will Smith since 1997 — recently revealed that she almost gave up on her 22-year marriage.

“It just felt like loss,” the 47-year-old beauty candidly admitted to People alongside daughter Willow Smith, 18, and mom Adrienne, 65. “There was too much concentration on what was happening externally, and the family unit itself wasn’t getting the attention and care that I felt we needed.”

Around 10 years into their marriage, the Red Table Talk host — who is also the mom of son Jaden Smith, 20 — hit a wall. Not only was she exhausted from juggling her family’s four separate careers but, more tragically, Jada felt defeated by the unrealistic expectations of how she should be as a wife.

“Will’s like, ‘We just came from Oslo, going to the [2009] Nobel Peace Prize ceremony [for Barack Obama] as a family, you’ve got a big house with a lake … isn’t this amazing?!’ And I’m like, ‘No,'” Jada recalled. “By the time my 40th [birthday] came, I was like, ‘I can’t do it anymore.’ I was so depleted.”

After much self-deprecation and thoughts of suicide, the Girls Trip actress said enough was enough. “I had to really take time out for me and figure out what I wanted for myself,” The Matrix sequels actress shared with the outlet. “I had to kind of put everyone aside and ask, ‘What would I do every day if it was just Jada?’ I literally had no idea.”

Fortunately for Jada, she felt confident putting her life, family and marriage back together knowing she had her incredible husband by her side. “I am kind of a ride-or-die chick,” she said. “I just knew with the kind of love that Will and I share — which is beyond romantic love — that we could transform our union and figure out how to re-create what we had.”

Although rebuilding herself was actually “the most excruciating process,” which took years, Jada felt “by redefining myself, the relationship got redefined.” In fact, since she reevaluated everything, the Gotham actress gushed that her relationship with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star has never been better.

“The journey between Will and me … we have come to such a beautiful place,” she said, crediting Red Table for helping her tell her story. “I feel like we have a stronger bond than we even had in the beginning.”

We are so happy for Jada and Will!