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Tamar Braxton addresses her suicide attempt, denies physical assault allegations

Tamar Braxton is talking about her mental health in her first interview following her attempted suicide.

On Wednesday's episode of "The Tamron Hall Show," the former reality star candidly reflected on being found unresponsive in a Los Angeles hotel room in July. Though she described it as her first attempt, she acknowledged "it's been a lot of dark, hard times."

“I'm just going to be 100%. There has been a time where I wanted to, but this was the first time where I’ve actually acted on it," she said, adding that she is in counseling every day.

Though Braxton has previously blamed the "toxic" television industry, she revealed another contributor to her declining mental health. She said she felt "betrayed" when a family member allegedly shared her untold story of sexual abuse with show producers, which was revealed in a 2018 episode of "Braxton Family Values" with life coach and spiritual advisor Iyanla Vanzant.

Tamar Braxton joined Tamron Hall for an exclusive interview following her reported suicide attempt and allegations of domestic violence.
Tamar Braxton joined Tamron Hall for an exclusive interview following her reported suicide attempt and allegations of domestic violence.

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“My family did an episode with Iyanla and I was excited about it. But that excitement came to an end when she decided to tell everyone (during the taping) that I was domestically sexually abused from the ages of 6 to 16. And I've never told anyone that," Braxton said, also confirming that “it’s not an allegation. It’s a fact.”

Braxton, who starred on the WE TV series "Braxton Family Values," said the pressure of being on TV was bad for both her family relationships and her mental health, explaining that she was unhappy with how others perceived her in an "unfair" portrayal.

“It was about feeling like I could never be myself and being misunderstood and having the stigma of the angry Black woman all the time. And that's not who I am. That's not what I wanted to portray. ... It wasn't just about being an angry Black woman, it was about real issues coming up on the show.”

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She said she's trying to repair her relationships with her family.

"I don’t think at the time I knew exactly what I was doing. I think that for the show and for my family, we wanted to have a great show and sometimes that is making the deal with the devil and that is doing things that you wouldn’t normally do.”

Her vision for her "Braxton Family Values" wasn't meant to revolve around arguments and tension, she said. Braxton noted that she initially created the show "to be an example of the Black community with five Black amazing sisters, with all different walks of life, who can inspire and help."

“I love my family. And I don't want to fight with my family. And I want to be an example of a family who fights and argues and always have turmoil," she said. "We wasn't teaching anything but being devilish and I didn’t want to do that.”

Hall asked Braxton about the allegations that she attacked her former fiancé, David Adefeso, while he was driving this summer, which she denied. In a lengthy YouTube Live video from September, he detailed an alleged physical altercation between the two that prompted him to contact the police and file a restraining order.

“I am a survivor of a domestic violence relationship. And not at any point was (sic) David and I in an abusive relationship," Braxton said.

“He was my best friend. He was an amazing, amazing partner," she said. "And it's just so hard because through everything else, I never expected this from him. Now, I have to be real with myself. Is he acting like this because he found me the way that he found me? Probably. I don’t know.”

If you or someone you know may be struggling with self-harm or suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time day or night, or chat online.

Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tamar Braxton addresses suicide attempt, domestic violence allegations