Brittney Griner Reveals She Was Suicidal in Russian Prison: ‘I Felt Less Than Human’
The WNBA player opened up about the many feelings she went through in the Russian penal colony in the preview for her upcoming ’20/20′ interview.
Brittney Griner is set to give her first sit-down interview since being released from a Russian prison in December 2022 with 20/20. In the first preview, the WNBA star, 33, admitted to feeling suicidal and struggling while she was sentenced to a penal colony as part of her sentence. Brittney got emotional while recalling the feeling of being sentenced and how she felt when she was going through it.
The interview with Robin Roberts spans from Brittney’s arrest in February 2022 to her sentencing to her being sent to the penal colony to eventually returning home to the United States. Brittney admitted when she was first arrested and sentenced she had a lot of fear. “My life is over right here,” she said in the preview from People. “I was just so scared for everything.”
Brittney recalled some of the conditions that she endured while going through her arrest. “There was a huge knife sitting on the table, and I was just like, ‘No, this is going to be a ride.’ You gotta do what you gotta do to survive,” she said. “The mattress had a huge bloodstain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper.”
![This is the booking photo of the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas, Irene Bedard, after she was arrested for disorderly conduct. The 55-year-old - best known for voicing the famous character in the 1995 animated movie - had to be separated from another woman by police in Greene County, Ohio, on August 19 after the pair were arguing and screaming. According to a police report, the women “walked out into the street screaming, without any regard for traffic”. Bedard had “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath”, but insisted she had not been drinking that day. She told police she had drunk a bottle of vodka the day before. Bedard said the other woman, Sheila Johnson, had been trying to help her into her “studio”, but she was unable to find her keys. According to the police report, Beard’s “emotions changed rapidly”, going from calm to becoming upset and eventually crying. Police tried to move Bedard away from a large window as they feared she might shatter the glass, but when Johnson offered them a name to call on Bedard’s behalf the actress ran away screaming. She was booked for disorderly conduct and released on August 21. Bedard was arrested twice over a three-day period back in November 2020. *BYLINE: Greene County Sheriff’s Office/Pop Nation/TMX/Mega. 19 Aug 2022 Pictured: The booking photo of the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas, Irene Bedard, after she was arrested for disorderly conduct. *BYLINE: Greene County Sheriff’s Office/Pop Nation/TMX/Mega. Photo credit: GreeneCountySheriff/PopNationTMX / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA889083_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Celebrities-Arrested-In-2022-1.jpg?fit=192%2C240&resize=192%2C240)
![Tiger King star Doc Antle, real name Bhagavan Antle, has been arrested on alleged money laundering charges. The 62-year-old was booked in Horry County, in South Carolina on Friday (June 3) and is set to appear in court next week. Court documents show the arresting agency was the FBI. He is pictured here in his mugshot / booking photo. 04 Jun 2022 Pictured: Doc Antle / Bhagavan Antle mugshot booking photo. Photo credit: Horry County Sheriff/MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA864896_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Doc-Antle-arrested-2022.jpg?fit=192%2C240&resize=192%2C240)
The WNBA player admitted that after experiencing the conditions in her cell, she just felt like she was at her lowest moment. “That was the moment where I felt less than human,” she said. Robin asked Brittney if she had felt suicidal, and she admitted that she did. “I didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through,” she said.
The 20/20 interview will air on May 1 on ABC.
Brittney was released as part of a 1-for-1 prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on December 8, 2022. Upon her return, she signed with the WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury. About a week after she returned, Brittney shared an emotional message on social media. “It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help,” she wrote.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).