Kate Beckinsale shared a heartbreaking message about navigating PTSD, comparing it to living in “hell.”
The “Pearl Harbor” actress said in an Instagram video Wednesday that people who “have seen or experienced levels of horror, terror, violence” cannot escape their traumas, but they should be recognized as “heroes.”
“A lot of those people become incredibly good at masking it,” Beckinsale, 53, said. “And it’s sad because they become so good that they get no grace whatsoever.”
Beckinsale, whose mom and stepfather died within the last two and half years, explained that while people with PTSD go about their everyday lives, “they don’t sleep for more than an hour because when they do, it’s full of nightmares.”
“Anything — smells, sounds, thoughts, feelings — can trigger them into a place that is actually like hell,” she shared, noting that since battling PTSD is “invisible,” people should be “kinder and gentler” to others.
Beckinsale continued, “It really is true that when you haven’t walked a mile in someone’s shoes — however fancy you think the shoes are — you have absolutely no idea what they might be carrying, masking, dealing with day and night.”
The “Underworld” star ended her first video by reiterating that PTSD victims “are the loneliest people” who “continue to try and put one foot in front of the other.”
In a second video, Beckinsale pointed out that Sunday was National Grief Awareness Day, and told her followers they shouldn’t tell someone “how strong they are,” because that person’s strength may be “misinterpreted as not needing gentleness.”
“There are people who are silently caregiving, watching their loved ones deteriorate in horrifying and frightening ways that they’re not medically qualified to deal with,” she explained. “And they do it on their own. And it can break them.”
In conclusion, Beckinsale asked fans to “try to become a person who can provide safety” to those struggling, given they “could be the difference for someone.”
Beckinsale has been open about her grief since revealing her mom, actress Judy Loe, died in her arms in July 2025.
“I am paralyzed,” Beckinsale wrote on Instagram at the time, calling Loe — who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer — “the compass of my life, the love of my life, my dearest friend.”
Beckinsale also said her mom’s death was her “greatest fear” since her dad, Richard Beckinsale, died of a heart attack when she was five years old.
The “Serendipity” actress also suffered the devastating loss of her stepfather, Roy Battersby, following “a brief period of illness” in January 2024.
She said she had “no words yet” when she shared the tragic news on social media.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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