Naomi Judd’s Changing Looks: Star Reveals Battle With Depression

Naomi Judd is opening up about her startling new appearance and why she has been staying away from the spotlight.

The recording artist revealed that she had a lifelong battle with mental illness, which has forced her to stay out of the spotlight in recent years. The 70-year-old sat down for an exclusive interview with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, in which she revealed that she suffers from severe depression and anxiety and that she and daughter Wynonna Judd have stopped touring as The Judds since 2011, reports Page Six.

“[Fans] see me in rhinestones, you know, with glitter in my hair, that really is who I am,” Naomi said. “But then I would come home and not leave the house for three weeks, and not get out of my pajamas, and not practice normal hygiene. It was really bad.”

Naomi also addressed her changing looks, which has shocked fans. She revealed that her medication for anxiety and depression is what caused her face to become bloated and has caused other symptoms. Fans previously assumed Naomi’s new look was either due to botched plastic surgery or weight gain.

“My hands shake really bad … medication, nothing I can do about it. And my face, I feel like a balloon. My face is all swollen because of the medication,” Judd admitted. “I really haven’t been eating ice cream and candy, I really haven’t!”

Robin Roberts asked Naomi Judd why she chose to share her story now after so many years. The country legend said that she wanted her fans to know what has been going on with her.

“Because what I’ve been through is extreme. Because it was so deep and so completely debilitating and life-threatening and because I have processed and worked so hard for these last four years.”

Judd recently wrote about her mental health struggles in her new memoir River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope, in which she talks about her struggles and her road to “radical acceptance” rather than recovery. While the singer’s relationship with her younger daughter Ashley has helped her over the years, she and Wynonna have drifted apart since they ended filming for their reality show, The Judds, in 2011. Wynonna has also since taken a break from the spotlight, leading fans to wonder what she’s been up to lately.

“Every day I exercised. I would walk up to Ashley’s house … and I would holler at her from her front step,” she said about her daughter “If she was home she’d come out and give me a hug. Ashley and I are so stinking much alike. We have the same mannerisms. We both read a whole lot. We both love new places. There’s such similarities.”

As for her relationship with Wynonna, Judd admits that they are on a “break” and that she and her oldest daughter are “a little estranged from each other,” according to Us Weekly.

“Through the decades, we kind of grew up together and I’m always telling her, ‘If I’d known better I would’ve done better,'” she said. “We bore the brunt of all of the mistakes I made and we talk about ’em. We’ve been through a lot of therapy together.”

“I love her but there are just times we need a break from each other,” Judd continued. “We’re still a little estranged from each other. And that happens with mother, daughters. If she sees this, and I hope she does, ’cause the smartest thing is for all of us to feel known, no matter what’s goin’ on. Be truthful. I think she’ll say, ‘Good for you, Mom, for finally being willing to talk about the bad stuff.'”

Naomi Judd retired from her legendary country music career as part of The Judds back in 1991 after it was discovered that she was diagnosed with hepatitis C. She has since admitted that she was “cured” of the disease in 1998 and continued her performances with her daughter Wynonna Judd years after.

Back in 2012, Judd’s daughter Ashley Judd made the plastic surgery rumors swirl when she appeared on a Canadian TV show to promote her series, Missing. She revealed in an interview with NBC Nightly that her puffy face was the result of a sinus infection.

[Featured Image by Stephen Cohen/Getty Images]