'I was extremely stressed out,' the actress said.
Melanie Griffith is opening up about being diagnosed in recent years with epilepsy, a neurological disorder that can cause seizures.
The 60-year-old actress recounted her experiences during a Women’s Health Initiative panel, moderated by Sharon Stone, in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Griffith, a three-time Golden Globe nominee, shared that she had experienced several grand mal seizures -- with the most recent ones being on a yacht outside Cannes, France.
“I had two seizures, one they took me off the boat. I had this major grand mal seizure and they took me to the hospital in Cannes and then brought me back to the boat,” she told the audience. “And then I had another seizure and I went back. They did the EEG and started to look at it seriously. When I came back [to the United States], I was diagnosed with epilepsy.”
Although Griffith says she has now been seizure-free for four years, she linked the incidents to stress. “I was extremely stressed out. Every seizure that I had was at a point when I was extremely stressed,” she said.
Fortunately, things have improved in recent years. “I got divorced, which is the real healer for me,” Griffith joked, alluding to her 2014 split with Antonio Banderas after 18 years of marriage.
“I’m not stressed anymore. It’s been three years,” she continued. “As women, we take on family, we get the husband, we have the life, we have the children, we take care of the house, we also go to work, we can’t sleep at night because we are up with the kids. I don’t think I’ve slept for 35 years. I still don’t sleep; it’s totally f***ed up my sleep cycle.”
The mom of three -- actress Dakota Johnson is Griffith's daughter with ex Don Johnson -- said despite her health troubles she feels grateful that she was able to access the best care. “If I was living in poverty with four kids and I couldn’t make ends meet and I had a f***ing seizure, what do you do? How does the average person, man or woman, get the help?”
Griffith stepped out in Los Angeles in August to celebrate her 60th birthday in a flaming red dress.
See her stunning look in the video below.