Tragic Details About Sophie Turner's Life

When news broke in September 2023 that Joe Jonas filed for divorce from Sophie Turner, things quickly turned ugly for the A-list parents, particularly Turner. For starters, while there were glaring red flags in their marriage leading up to their divorce, the decision to officially break their union was seemingly one Jonas made without consulting her. As reported by Page Six, Turner claimed in a lawsuit that she "found out" he filed "through the media." Then came the jabs at her reputation. A source told TMZ at the time that Jonas filed for divorce because "she likes to party, he likes to stay at home. They have very different lifestyles." This was quickly spun into a narrative that Turner was an absent mother who never saw her kids. But during a 2020 interview with Conan O'Brien, she said staying at home while quarantining that year was ideal for her as she was an "introvert" and a "homebody," whereas Jonas was a "social butterfly."

But washing her hands of her marriage to Jonas wasn't exactly a relief in her book. Speaking to Harper's Bazaar in October 2024, Turner made surprising comments about their relationship, most notably that their divorce was "incredibly sad." She added: "We had a beautiful relationship, and it was hard." Unfortunately, Turner's split from Jonas was just one of many tragedies the "Game of Thrones" actress has faced.

Sophie Turner seemingly made a huge sacrifice to make her relationship with Joe Jonas work: She moved from the United Kingdom to the United States. While this new chapter brought her a husband and two children, it also came with homesickness. "It felt as if my life was on pause until I returned to England," Turner told Harper's Bazaar in October 2024. Since beginning her relationship with Jonas in 2016, she spent six years away from home, first in Los Angeles and then in Miami. "I just never really feel like myself when I'm not in London, with my friends and family," she shared, adding that she missed celebrating big life moments — like her pregnancies — with her friends. She also felt uneasy with U.S. politics, citing "gun violence, Roe v. Wade being overturned," and school shootings.

In April 2023, Turner and Jonas did relocate to London, and it seemed like she was finally getting what she wanted. But that was just the calm before the storm. When the Jonas Brothers' tour started in August 2023, the kids temporarily returned to the states with their father as she began filming a new TV show in the U.K. The next month was when Jonas filed for divorce. To make matters worse, he also refused to let the children go back to England with Turner and withheld their passports, which prompted her to take legal action.

Sophie Turnergot her big break at just 14 years old when she started filming for "Game of Thrones." While this was supposed to be an exciting time for her, it also meant that she was being thrust into the spotlight at a really young age when her body was still developing. In a 2019 interview with Marie Claire Australia, Turner discussed how she experienced mental illness while filming the hit HBO show. "My metabolism suddenly decided to fall to the depths of the ocean and I started to get spotty and gain weight, and all of this was happening to me on camera," she told the outlet, which noted that film and television studios were pressuring her to lose weight.

In an interview with Elle UK three years later, Turner revealed that she had experienced an eating disorder amid her rise to fame. It became so severe that she had a therapist live with her as she tried to heal. "'For a long time, I was quite sick with an eating disorder and I had a companion ... a live-in therapist, who would ensure I wasn't doing anything unhealthy with my eating habits," Turner said in 2022.

In addition to Sophie Turner's eating disorder, she also experienced depression and previously contemplated suicide. "It's weird. I say I wasn't very depressed when I was younger, but I used to think about suicide a lot," she said in a 2019 podcast interview with Dr. Phil. She explained her depression caused her to have "no motivation to do anything or go out," so much so that she even avoided seeing her best friends. "I would cry and cry and cry," Turner revealed. "Just having to change and put on clothes, I said, 'I can't do this. I can't go outside. I have nothing that I want to do.'"

In that same interview, Turner seemingly praised then-fiance Joe Jonas for helping her heal. "I'm now with someone that makes me realise, you know, that I do have some redeeming qualities, I suppose, and when someone tells you they love you every day, it makes you realise why that is, and I think it makes you love yourself a bit more," she said. But after the birth of their second child, Jonas had seemingly become less supportive of Turner. Sources told TMZ in September 2023 that Turner had attended events with Jonas, suggesting that he pressured her to go.

In 2013, Sophie Turner got her first dog ever when she iconically adopted her "Game of Thrones" furry companion — her character's dire wolf, Lady. Since then, her love for dogs has only blossomed, and while she was married to Joe Jonas, they had multiple dogs. But in 2019, tragedy struck when one of their dogs, an Alaskan Klee Kai named Waldo, was hit and killed by a car in New York City while out with the couple's dog walker, per TMZ.  

The incident seemingly tore up the couple, who had gotten Waldo just the year before. After his passing, both Turner's and Jonas' tattoo collection grew larger when they got their late puppy's face inked on them. "I miss you, Waldo. Rest in peace my little baby," Turner wrote in her Instagram Story at the time, showing her latest Waldo-inspired ink (via J-14).

Sophie Turner experienced her first major loss at a very young age when her twin died in the womb. "That definitely affected me in terms of I always felt as though ... something was missing," she previously told You magazine (via Birmingham Live). Turner explained that while she has two brothers and her "childhood was pretty fun," she "always felt as though I needed someone or should have had someone there." This pain has helped Turner at work, especially when she was filming difficult "Game of Thrones" scenes. "I guess there's a sense of loss there that I have used to conjure emotions on-screen," she told the outlet.

While no one can ever replace Turner's late twin, she did gain a new sense of fulfillment when she became a mother. During her first Mother's Day, Turner wrote in her Instagram that becoming a mom was her "favourite job [she's] ever had." And now, instead of drawing from her early loss for emotional scenes, she has new lived experiences as a mom. "The concept of family has made me an entirely much more emotional person," she said on The Wrap's "Unwrapped" podcast in 2022. "It's made me a better actor for becoming, you know, becoming a mother," she added.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

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