Angela Lee struggled to open up on 2017 suicide attempt: “I just didn’t have the strength at that time”

For years, Angela Lee kept the true details of her 2017 car crash to herself.

With everything around her happening at such a rapid pace, both inside and outside her career, the then-21-year-old blanketed the incident on the surface.

Always putting others before herself, her sole goal was to be on a constant path to inspire millions worldwide.

Deep down, however, something was crumbling within the always-charismatic athlete. Even at times when she felt the need to speak up about the details of her accident, the MMA world champion simply couldn’t find the strength or courage to do so.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the lifelong martial artist recalled:

“After everything that happened in 2017, I'll be honest, I just didn't have the strength at that time to come forward to face not just my family but the world, to say how I was really feeling, and it took a really long time to build up that strength.”

Watch the interview here:

She isn’t to be blamed, though.

Every individual, successful or not, has their down times. Although it took years for her to speak up, things are better than before – and she’s certainly chosen the right path and source of output to channel negativity into positivity.

After all, healing takes time. And with the right assistance, a glimmer of light always awaits at the end of the tunnel.

Angela Lee added:

“Right now, I’m at a place where I feel like I can open up, and I feel like by sharing my story, I would help others. And so it's up to everyone and how they're feeling and how they're healing, essentially.”

In her first-person revelation on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel and a memoir on The Players Tribune last month, Angela Lee revealed a detailed account of what she has been battling over the years.

The 27-year-old confessed that her car crash was a suicide attempt and confirmed that her sister Victoria, 18, took her life on Boxing Day last year.

At ONE Fight Night 14 on September 29, the longtime ONE atomweight MMA queen decided to call it a day on her illustrious career as she focuses on her next chapter in life to help others battling with mental help through her non-profit organization, Fightstory.