[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Anna Marie Tendler is opening up about her divorce from John Mulaney — and how her dog saved her life.
In a lengthy essay published to Elle Tuesday, the 37-year-old got extremely vulnerable about the low place she was left in after she and Mulaney split, but how her French Bulldog, Petunia, was her light through it all. She explained:
“Petunia and I moved to Connecticut in December 2020, in the wake of my severe mental health breakdown and what appeared to be the impending end of my marriage. We fused even more deeply together in an attuned and totally symbiotic relationship. She never let me out of her sight. In fact, she watched me intently, as if I was the thing she now needed to guard, though, where guarding once incited her primal rage, she would now guard me with the deepest kind of love I had ever known.”
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In a shocking revelation, the multimedia artist shared that she was actually even hospitalized for a bit for “severe suicidal ideation,” but that her lovable pooch was the only reason she kept on fighting:
“My mental health hinged wholly on my dog. When I was hospitalized for depression, self-harm, and severe suicidal ideation in the first two weeks of 2021, the doctors asked me to make a list of my reasons for living. Petunia was the one and only thing on that list.”
Wow, that poor soul. We’re so glad she had Petunia by her side.
Tendler has since recovered, but sadly, Petunia has passed. She paid tribute her baby girl in a recent Instagram post, writing alongside a black and white selfie of the two:
“For so many of us, me very much included, our pets are more than just pets. They are family, best friends, support, and saviors. Unfortunately, opening our hearts and homes to them means one day we will have to reckon with their death.”
See (below):
John also took to the photo sharing app in late April to acknowledge her passing, sharing an old photo of himself with Petunia as a puppy, writing:
“Petunia, I loved you from the first moment I saw you. Rest in peace. Thank you for being my little shadow.”
Pet deaths are so incredibly hard. Especially when they served as such an emotional rock for you.
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In her essay, Tendler shared that Petunia had been by her side through multiple major life events:
“She was my constant through marriage, four moves, graduate school, a career change (or two), a mental health crisis, a divorce, and finally a reinvention.”
However, she recalled that when the time came for Petunia to take her final breaths, Tendler let her know just how grateful she was for her companionship:
“I told her how grateful I was for her love and companionship. I promised her that I was okay and that I would be okay without her; crushed, lonely, but okay.”
Mulaney asked for a divorce in 2021 after a 60-day stint in rehab. Tendler wrote in a statement at the time:
“I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage. I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery.”
The separation was finalized in January of the following year. John has since moved on with actress Olivia Munn, and the two have welcomed a child together. For Tendler’s part, she’s moved on with New York City chef Nicholas Tran.
Life was difficult for a while there, but we’re so glad Anna had her faithful companion by her side to get her through it all. Rest in peace, Petunia! Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Share in the comments down below!
[Images via FayesVision/Joseph Marzullo/WENN]
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