Priscilla Kelly says she struggled with bullying and depression that led her down a dark path toward the end of her WWE NXT tag team run.
Kelly was repackaged as Gigi Dolin upon her arrival in NXT. She established herself as a mainstay of the WWE NXT women’s tag team division alongside Jacy Jayne. The pair, along with Mandy Rose, dominated NXT 2.0 as Toxic Attraction.
However, as Kelly recalled during a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, she dealt with bullying and mental health issues toward the end of Toxic Attraction’s run. These struggles also caused her to gain weight.
“I went through a lot of stuff in WWE that kind of shot me into this horrible depression and at the tail end of Toxic (Attraction) I was severely depressed,” she said. “I put on on a bunch of weight, I started not caring about my ring work, I kind of gave up ’cause I was just so depressed because of things that were happening behind the scenes.
“I kind of went through this down period of, ‘I hate my life, I’m collecting a paycheck. I’m just hoping someday I can get back to who I am and the performer that I am.’ I as soon as I started to feel like I was myself again, I tore my meniscus.”
Priscilla Kelly details personal life struggles
“I have a lot going on my personal life on top of everything else,” Kelly revealed. “Both of my parents have a lot of issues and my dad’s been in prison for the last four years, he actually just got out this past weekend. I’m dealing with my little brother that is going through hell and he’s on his own and my mom’s got all kinds of issues, my dad’s locked up… I have a lot of personal stuff going on.
“The pressure of WWE is a lot… there just was a lot of pressure those first two years, because I was new and I came from the indies. There was a lot that they were trying to like beat out of me. There was just stuff going on behind the scenes.
“I don’t want to bring it up ’cause I know it’ll blow up and then it’ll become a whole thing, but let’s just say some people were very, very, very not nice to me, to the point that I was suicidal for a little bit, because I was really going through it. Once I got out of that… I would say in the beginning of 2023, I started doing main events on the main roster and stuff and that’s when I really felt like, ‘Okay this is who I am, this is like the kind of wrestling I like to do.'” [H/T The Stunner]
Later in the interview, Kelly said some of her close friends knew what she was going through, but she ultimately found herself just showing up to collect a check. She said that she would have understood if WWE released her at that point, noting that her work was suffering. However, she said the turning point for her was learning she would be getting a program with Bea Priestley, whom she considers a friend. The feud didn’t last long, but it marked her getting back to a better and healthier place.
Priscilla Kelly was released from her contract earlier this year. A report attributed her release to not putting in the work — claims she denied. Her first post-WWE match was stopped due to injury. Since then, she has re-established herself on the independent circuit with appearances for promotions such as GCW and MLW.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, you can call the NAMI HelpLine. This is a free and confidential nationwide service that provides mental health information and resources. Call the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or text NAMI to 62640 .
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