Ashley Judd suffered another leg fracture while grieving her mother over the summer in what she has described as a "freak accident."
The 54-year-old actor opened up about the injury, a fracture of the femoral condyle, during a lecture and conversation series with UCLA professor Dr. Jonathan Flint on Wednesday.
Less than two years ago, in February 2021, Judd shattered her leg in four places after tripping over a fallen tree during a hiking excursion in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She had to be hospitalized, but it took over two days for her to reach safety. The near-fatal fall almost cost Judd her leg.
Her most recent fracture was far less dire and "healed in two months, lickety-split," she told Flint, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"It was what it was. Clumsiness is associated with grief, and there were other people in our family, after mom died, who fell down stairs and had accidents, and that’s just what mine happened to look like," she said. "It really allowed me to grieve. It really allowed me to stop what I was working on at that moment and to grieve."
Naomi Judd died April 30 as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in her Tennessee home. Ashley discovered her mother's body
"It was a mixed day," she told "Good Morning America" in May. "I visit with my mom and pop every day when I’m home in Tennessee, so I was at the house … and Mom said to me, 'Will you stay with me?' And I said, 'Of course, I will.' "
Her mother was upstairs when a friend arrived to visit, Ashley said.
"I went upstairs to let her know that [her] friend was there, and I discovered her. I have both grief and trauma from discovery," she said.
Speaking with Flint, Ashley said she was doing well now — something that was confirmed by her "wisdom teacher" earlier in the day.
"I just spent some time with my wisdom teacher today, and there’s a lot going on in my life right now. We’re approaching the six month anniversary of my mom’s passing and my sister’s on tour," she said, referring to Wynonna Judd. "I’m seeing two of the concerts this weekend, which brings up a lot of deep poignancy, both joy and sorrow."
She added that aside from the "legal piece" going on with her family, which she did not elaborate on, her "wisdom teacher" said she "seemed very grounded and centered" and a lot of it had to do with her "morning practice and meditation."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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