Dwayne Johnson says he witnessed his mother’s suicide attempt at 15

April 2 (UPI) — Dwayne Johnson said that he witnessed his mother Ata Johnson attempt to commit suicide when he was 15-years-old.

“She got out of the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic,” Dwayne said during an interview with The Express Sunday where he also talked about his previous battles with depression.

“I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road,” he continued.

Dwayne also said that his mother does not remember what happened. “What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is that to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t.”

Dwayne, who dominated the WWE throughout the ’90s and early 2000s before becoming a Hollywood star, said that he had a secret battle with depression and said he was in a bad place mentally after his dreams of becoming an NFL star were ruined due to multiple injuries.

“That was my absolute worst time,” he said. Dwayne also said that his girlfriend at the time broke up with him after he was let go by the Canadian Football League. The depression, Dwayne said, could have pushed him to attempt suicide like his mother had he not found the will to carry on.

“We both healed but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain,” the 45-year-old said about himself and his mother. “We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.”

Dwayne, on Twitter Monday, shared an article about his remarks on his depression and his mother’s suicide attempt. “We all go thru the sludge/[expletive] and depression never discriminates. Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone,” he said.