Kannada actor Divya Spandana says Rahul Gandhi helped her battle suicidal thoughts

Former Lok Sabha member and Kannada actor Divya Spandana recently discussed her battle with suicidal thoughts following the passing of her father and disclosed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi offered her emotional support.

In a Season 5 episode of the Kannada talk show Weekend with Ramesh, Ms Spandana, the Congress spokesperson, talked about losing her father, NDTV reported.

"Two weeks after I lost my father, I was in the Parliament. I didn't know anyone or anything, even about the proceedings of the Parliament," Pinkvilla quoted her as saying.

Ms Spandana said she gradually learned everything and "channeled my grief towards my work". She said the "people of Mandya" gave her confidence, the report added.

She mentioned that when her father passed away, Rahul Gandhi was there to provide her with emotional support. "My mother is the biggest influence in my life, next is my father, and the third is Rahul Gandhi," she added.

After the passing of her father and the loss of the election, the former Congress MP claimed she was considering suicide. "During that time, Rahul Gandhi helped me and supported me emotionally too," she said.

In 2012, Ms Spandana joined the Youth Congress. In the 2013 by-election in Karnataka, she won from the Mandya Lok Sabha district. She was the Congress's social media coordinator, but she subsequently left the position.

She launched her own production company last year and declared her return to the movie industry.

"The 'sihi suddi' most of you guessed right - I am going to be doing films again!! This time though I will also be producing through my boutique production house Apple Box Studios," the actor said in a statement.