The following article contains references to sexual assault and suicidal ideation.
Kelly McGillis may be a name we rarely hear these days, but her legacy is indisputable.
But as with so manyonce-loved Hollywood stars, McGillis has all but disappeared from the mainstream.
If just one word could describe McGillis, it would be “survivor.”
“I honesty don’t care what people think of me,” she toldHuffPost.
“I used to live my life exceedingly worried what people thought of me.
Today, it’s not important, and I’m good with that.
You know, I think anybody’s life is full of up and down and challenges.
They are all opportunities to grow and chance[s] to grow.”
Subsequently, McGillis has opted for a quieter life these days.
Here are the tragic details of “Top Gun” star Kelly McGillis' life.
She first experienced violence when she was robbed at gunpoint in 1981.
A year later, two men broke into her home and raped her at knifepoint.
Discussing the ordeal withPeoplein 1988, McGillis said that she had resigned herself to getting murdered that night.
The harrowing experience led to their relationship disintegrating.
The women’s lives were saved when police banged on the door and the attackers fled.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
Visit theRape, Abuse & Incest National connection websiteor contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
But as she became increasingly famous, these self-esteem and body issues worsened.
“I really had issues,” she conceded.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.
Call or text 988 or chat988lifeline.org.
The stuffy atmosphere in which she was raised made coming to terms with being gay difficult.
That’s what I told myself."
she told Philadelphia Gay News.
But in 2009, McGillis chose to live her truth and came out publicly as gay.
In 2010, she married her partner, Melanie Leis.
Though they have since split, Leis toldINTIXthat McGillis remains the love of her life.
Later, she split up with Leis, though they reunited after she also sought help for her illness.
These days, McGillis draws on her past experiences to help others who are struggling with substance misuse.
Subsequently, she began working 40 hours a week at a rehab facility in South Jersey.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Kelly McGillis was married to men twice before coming out.
Her first marriage, to Boyd Black, ended acrimoniously.
As McGillis' substance misuse worsened and her health declined, she lost custody of her daughters.
I have to do this for my children and for myself.
I have to be the best parent I know how to be.'
And that’s what I did."
She regained custody of her children in 2001.
“I ran out the front door and called 911,” she wrote onFacebook.
Dorn was arrested and held in Henderson County Jail.
Discussing the incident withWLOS, McGillis expressed sympathy for Dorn’s daughter.
“I have a great faith that something good comes out of everything.
“Maybe this is what had to happen … so that child could be safe.”
Appearing in court in 2017, McGillis testified that the incident filled her with terror.
She was sentenced to 18 months probation.
As is often the case withwomen over 50 in Hollywood, such prejudices worsened as McGillis got older.
“Oh my god, no.
“And that is not what that whole scene is about.
In an interview withEntertainment Tonight, McGillis acknowledged that her priorities in life had shifted along with her diagnosis.
“I feel really blessed that I don’t have to work, you know?”
“But I get the option to work, so I’m really blessed in that way.
Not many people get that option later in life, so I feel very lucky.”
The diagnosis was yet another obstacle in McGillis' tragic life story.
“People get little fragments of your life, especially if you are an actor,” she said.
“It’s made up of things, opinions, work so many different things.
