Kendra Wilkinson, 38, is a fan-favorite for reality TV lovers. The former Playboy model first rose to fame on The Girls Next Door, which documented the late Hugh Hefner‘s relationships with the women living at the Playboy mansion, from 2005 to 2010. Kendra went on to star in Kendra, a reality series about her life and previous romance with her now-ex, Hank Baskett. The duo even appeared on Kendra on Top from 2012 until the series ended in 2017.
Although the model and the NFL alum divorced in 2018, they continue to be in each other’s lives as they co-parent their children. Kendra welcomed her son, Hank Jr., with her ex in 2009 and later welcomed their daughter, Alijah Mary, in 2014. Aside from her new real estate career, Kendra made headlines after she was recently hospitalized following a panic attack episode in September 2023. Following the health scare, below is everything to know about the blonde beauty’s health battle.
Kendra Wilkinson’s Battle With Depression
Four months after Kendra was hospitalized for a panic attack, she opened up to PEOPLE about her battle with depression during a January 2024 interview. “I was in a state of panic. I didn’t know what was going on in my head and my body or why I was crying. I had hit rock bottom,” she told the outlet about her mental health battle. The TV personality even admitted that she felt like she was “dying” at that point in her life. “I was dying of depression,” the mother-of-two told the mag. “I was hitting the end of my life, and I went into psychosis. I felt like I wasn’t strong enough to live anymore.”
Kendra also noted that modeling for Playboy had a negative impact on her. “Playboy really messed my whole life up,” she said. “It’s not easy to look back at my 20s. I’ve had to face my demons.” Following her hospitalization, the starlet began outpatient therapy several times a week. “It was the lowest place I’ve ever been in my life. I felt like I had no future. I couldn’t see in front of my depression,” she admitted during the interview. “I was giving up and I couldn’t find the light. I had no hope.”
Kendra Wilkinson Opens Up About Anxiety
The Sliding Into Home author hit another low point after her new show, Kendra Sells Hollywood, was not renewed after two seasons. “It was so scary for me to go through it. I wasn’t focusing on myself or my mental health. Here I was a single mom and I’ve been alone for years now,” she explained to PEOPLE. “But it’s also easy to feel like the world is caving in on you.”
Kendra felt the added pressure after she attempted to “cure” herself without any professional help. “I was trying to fight it on my own. I was trying to cure it on my own and you can’t do that,” she said. “I was isolating, hiding, blaming myself, blaming the world. I was spiraling out of control and I felt like I wasn’t strong enough to survive.”
Although Kendra and Hank have been divorced for several years now, it was the father of her children who she turned to for help. “There was a moment where I looked at my ex-husband and I said, ‘Take me to the hospital,’” she recalled.
How Is Kendra Wilkinson Doing Today?
After the hospitalization, Kendra continued to seek help. “To accept help that day and for Hank to drive me to the hospital was a huge day in both of our lives,” she shared in January 2024. “It was a big day for my family and kids. I didn’t realize how bad I was suffering or what people were seeing of me until I got there. I had to really look in the mirror and be like, ‘I need help.’”
Now, the Marriage Boot Camp alum has admitted to using medication to help with her mental health. “I would never go out of my way to kill myself, but I was just like, ‘God, take me. God, take me,’” Kendra said. “To accept medication was the hardest thing to do. It meant I had to accept that I have some mental illness, and I didn’t want to have to do that.”
She even expressed her gratitude to Hank for being there for her amid her dark times. “I want to let myself be,” Kendra admitted. “Hank driving me to the hospital that day was out of care. It wasn’t out of marriage. We’re co-parenting really well. That’s what divorce is about. We’re doing a really good job.” These days, Kendra says that therapy has given her “the strength and the foundation I need to overcome my depression.”
The San Diego native also took to Instagram in November 2023 to share an update on her health. “I just recently finished treatment for my depression and anxiety. Beyond happy to share this information since there were articles written about it. Might as well give you the full update. Lol,” she penned in the post. “Being a solo act can get heavy sometimes and life can get challenging but i do the best I can and push with positive energy. Back on my feet. Happily working in real estate, taking care of my babies and myself. Great friends. Heart is full of gratitude!!!”
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).