“I was looking for an escape” – Angela Lee on why she tried to end her life in 2017 car crash

Former ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Angela Lee shocked the entire MMA landscape earlier this year when she announced her retirement from the sport in late September at ONE Fight Night 14.

Earlier that month, 'Unstoppable' revealed through a piece she wrote on The Players' Tribune that her car crash in November 2017 was no mere accident - but that it was something she had thought about for quite some time.

Lee recently appeared on the Tamron Hall Show and had the following to say about her crash:

“Yeah, that was my honest feelings and, you know, I want to let everyone know that wasn't the right answer for me, that is never the answer. But for me it was, I was looking for an escape. I had had all of these feelings and emotions and expectations pent up inside of me and nowhere to release it.”

Her retirement came off the heels of a heartbreaking tragedy in December of 2022 where her younger sister, Victoria Lee, took her own life.

With her having gone through one of the most harrowing periods a person could ever go through, Lee would go on to set up her own non-profit organization, Fightstory.

Lee retired from the sport with a highly impressive record of 11 wins and three losses, where she defeated the likes of Japanese legend Mei Yamaguchi and current ONE women's atomweight MMA world champion Stamp Fairtex.

Watch the entirety of Lee's interview here:

If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.