Maisie Williams breaks silence on defeating inner demons

Maisie Williams recently got honest about the dark days of her life and how she returned to life again.

In her latest interview with The Guardian, the 29-year-old English actress admitted, “The first half of my 20s was just hell, but I think maybe it is for a lot of people.”

For those unaware, Williams played Arya Stark in Game of Thrones at the age of 13, but she could not find the purpose of her life after the series ended in 2019. Also, she was struggling with her childhood traumas, as her parents did not only part ways, but her father also abandoned her.

She said, "The first half of my 20s was just hell, but I think maybe it is for a lot of people. I think that has more to do with the fact that Game of Thrones was ending, and I didn't know what I was going to do next, and I just needed a break, to be honest with you.”

"And then it also has to do with delayed teenage awkward years, and figuring a lot of things out that I felt like maybe I couldn't do much earlier than that. And also Covid, and also an industry strike,” the Practical Magic 2 star explained.

Notably, Williams went on to mention that her life changed towards betterment when she started prioritizing herself, especially after her breakup with fashion designer Reuben Selby in 2023.

She shared, “But post-2023, every day has been getting better. I started seeing my friends again. I moved out of London. I was living alone. I was back with my dog. Everything was different.”

“At that point, it was time to … Just choose myself. What always comes into my mind is Kim Cattrall, 'I don't want to be anywhere, not even for an hour, where I'm not enjoying myself.' That's truly how I've been the last three years,” Maisie Williams said.