Hannah Murray Reveals How a Wellness Cult and Mental Health Struggles Led Her to Quit Acting

Game of Thrones and Skins actress Hannah Murray has opened up about the personal crisis that pulled her away from acting and into a deceptive wellness-linked spiritual group.

In her new memoir The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness, the 36-year-old details years of emotional burnout, mental health struggles, and a search for fulfillment that ultimately led her down a dark path.

From Fame to Burnout

Murray rose to fame as Cassie Ainsworth in Skins at 16, and later played Gilly in Game of Thrones from 2012 to 2019. On the surface, her career looked successful. But behind the scenes, she was dealing with emotional breakdowns and a growing sense of emptiness.

“Even with all of her success and achievements in the field of acting, she always experienced emotional burnouts and found herself searching for that feeling of value and fulfillment that could never come,” she writes.

That void, she says, made her vulnerable to groups promising healing and purpose.

Falling Into a Wellness Cult

Murray describes joining a spiritual group that presented itself as a wellness community but operated with cult-like control. The experience worsened her mental health, leading to a breakdown, sectioning, and eventually a bipolar diagnosis.

In the memoir, she reflects on how the pressure of fame, combined with untreated mental health issues, made her susceptible to manipulation.

“I was looking for something real, something that made me feel grounded,” she explains, noting that the group offered quick answers but left her more isolated.

Rebuilding After the Crisis

Since leaving the group, Murray has been open about her recovery and diagnosis. She uses The Make-Believe to explore the intersection of fame, mental illness, and the search for identity outside of Hollywood.

The book also touches on her experiences on set and the emotional toll of growing up in the public eye. For Murray, writing became part of the healing process—a way to reclaim her story on her own terms.

A Cautionary Story About Fame and Vulnerability

Murray’s story adds to a growing conversation about mental health in the entertainment industry and how young actors can be targeted by exploitative groups.

She hopes sharing her experience will help others recognize the warning signs and seek proper support.

While she hasn’t ruled out returning to acting, Murray says her priority now is mental health and writing. “I had to stop pretending I was okay,” she writes. “The make-believe had to end.”