For the first time since their split, Sophie Turner is opening up about her marriage to Joe Jonas and the toll it took on her mental health.
In a British Vogue interview published online Wednesday, the “Game of Thrones” actor said her relationship with the Jonas Brothers star sometimes left her feeling lonely, especially as she found herself living far away from her hometown in England.
Married in 2019, Turner and Jonas had two daughters together before calling it quits last year.
Turner said she felt welcome while living in Jonas’ orbit of fame in Los Angeles, but was also treated like something of an accessory to his boy band.
“There was a lot of attention on the three brothers, and the wives. Well, we were always called the wives, and I hated that,” Turner said in reference to actor Priyanka Chopra and TV personality Danielle Jonas, the spouses of Joe Jonas’ siblings.
“It was kind of this plus-one feeling,” she said. “And that’s nothing to do with him – in no way did he make me feel that – it was just that the perception of us was as the groupies in the band.”
When the couple relocated to Florida in 2021, Turner said things were even more isolating.
“We were in this community full of 50-year-old men, so imagine trying to make friends on the dog walk,” she said. “I just felt like a little bird trapped in a gilded cage. It was amazing, yes, but I didn’t have any friends there.”
Two years later, Jonas filed for divorce from Turner in Miami.
Though Turner declined to provide details about her divorce due to legal reasons, she acknowledged that she was upset by how the split was portrayed in the media, which grabbed on to the narrative that she was a party girl while Jonas was a doting parent.
A tense custody dispute ensued after Turner said she was stopped from having their children visit her in England, where she returned following the breakup.
Jonas’ team called the matter an “unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending.” The exes later reached a custody agreement, but their divorce is still in process.
“There were some days that I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” said Turner, who revealed that a reminder from her attorney helped steady her.
“I would call my lawyer saying, ‘I can’t do this. I just can’t.’ I was just never strong enough to stand up for myself,” she said. “And then, finally, after two weeks of me being in a rut, she reminded me that it was my children I was fighting for. ... Once anyone says to me, ‘Do it for your kids,’ I’m doing it. I wouldn’t do it for myself, but I’ll find the strength for them.”
Still, Turner said: “I’m unhappy with the way everything played out, especially when it comes to my children. They’re the victims in all of this. But I think we’re doing the best we can.”
She added: “I’m confident that we can figure it out. Joe is a great father to our children and that’s all that I can ask for.”