Anna Marie Tendler Was Hospitalized for ‘Severe Suicidal Ideation’ in Early 2021 Before John Mulaney Divorce
07.06.2023 - 19:25
/ usmagazine.com
John Mulaney‘s ex-wife, Anna Marie Tendler, opened up about experiencing a “mental health breakdown” before news broke of their split.
The artist, 37, reflected on her ups and downs in an essay penned for Elle about the loss of her dog, Petunia, whom she shared with the comedian, 40. “Petunia and I moved to Connecticut in December 2020, in the wake of my severe mental health breakdown and what appeared to be the impending end of my marriage,” Tendler wrote. “We fused even more deeply together in an attuned and totally symbiotic relationship. She never let me out of her sight.”
Tendler said her bond with her pooch was “the deepest kind of love I had ever known,” adding that her pet was a source of comfort through hard times. “My mental health hinged wholly on my dog,” she explained. “When I was hospitalized for depression, self-harm, and severe suicidal ideation in the first two weeks of 2021, the doctors asked me to make a list of my reasons for living. Petunia was the one and only thing on that list.”
She continued: “When I returned home, it was as if Petunia knew this and took her job very seriously. … Petunia became an entirely new version of herself.”
Tendler and Mulaney mourned their French bulldog in tributes shared via their respective Instagram accounts earlier this year. “Petunia, I loved you from the first moment I saw you. Rest in peace,” the former Saturday Night Live writer captioned a throwback photo in April. “Thank you for being my little shadow.”
The Connecticut native, for her part, called Petunia the “smartest” and “weirdest” dog. “To think I will never again hold you, hear you, or see your big, beautiful brown eyes gazing back at me seems unfathomable. Thank you for letting me be your constant companion,