WWE's Charlotte Flair Opens Up About Mental Health Journey

Charlotte Flair has spoken honestly about the challenges she has faced mentally and how she has worked through them.

Flair recently spoke to Stephanie McMahon on "What's Your Story?" where she revealed that her parents learnt about her divorce after it was done, explaining how she wasn't being honest with her near and dear ones.

"I don't want to use the word hiding or covering up, but I just wasn't being honest. Honest with myself, honest with everyone around me. One person got one story, another person would get another. My mom and dad didn't even know I was getting divorced until it was already done," she revealed.

Flair detailed her mental state during that period, stating how she wasn't happy with her situation at the time as she believed she wanted more in various aspects of her life.

"I just felt like I was meant for more, but I didn't understand gratitude. I didn't understand being honest with myself. I came back to work, and it wasn't what I expected," said Flair. "I was meant for more in my life at home, what I deserved as a woman, as a businesswoman, as just everything. And then after WrestleMania, I was like, 'Okay, you got to stop trying to control everything. Just live in the moment.'"

"The Queen" said that she often has to remind herself that she is in a privileged position and doesn't need to complain about anything in her life.

Being the daughter of a legendary star like Ric Flair comes with perks, but it has also been a burden of sorts for Charlotte Flair, who has felt that her failures and similarities to her father led people to compare her to him. She feels she shouldn't have to make up for her father's mistakes.

"For some reason, I have it so ingrained in me that I am my dad. So every failure that I had or similarity that I had with him, I would feel like people are going to think I'm him. And not that I don't want to be the greatest performer of all time. I do. But our mistakes, I felt like I had to make up for his mistakes or be perfect because I am his daughter. I just wasn't living," she said. 

Flair had to tell herself that she's a "cool" person and that it's okay to be vulnerable. She also disclosed that she has been going for counselling, which WWE offers to its wrestlers, and that her friendship with a young fan, Scarlett Guillen, who battled and sadly passed away from cancer, has given her the motivation and drive and helped see life differently.

"And then, really, when I met Scarlett, and then also besides meeting Scarlett and her family, yes, Scarlett played a huge role in just perspective, but just practicing gratitude daily," added Flair.

She has opened up about how her on-screen persona in WWE is sort of a cover for who she really is, giving her the confidence she doesn't have in her personal life.