ashley judd fractured leg mom naomi death© Photo: Getty Images

Ashley Judd details horrifying injuries after mom Naomi Judd's death

Ashley Judd's mother died by suicide in April

Kathy Campbell - New York
New York
October 28, 2022

As Ashley Judd continues to mourn the death of her mother, country superstar Naomi Judd, the actress revealed on Wednesday that she suffered yet another leg fracture in a "freak accident."

MORE: Ashley Judd details heartbreaking aftermath of Naomi Judd's death and its investigation

The Dolphin Tale actress, 54, spoke about her devastating injury while appearing on a Zoom talk with UCLA professor Dr. Jonathan Flint as part of the Open Mind lecture and conversation series.

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Ashley revealed that she suffered a fracture of the femoral condyle over the summer. "It was what it was," she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Clumsiness is associated with grief, and there were other people in our family, after Mom died, who fell down stairs and had accidents, and that's just what mine happened to look like. It really allowed me to grieve. It really allowed me to stop what I was working on at that moment and to grieve."

RELATED: Robin Roberts reveals heartbreaking details of Naomi Judd's memorial service

MORE: Naomi Judd 'leaves daughters Ashley and Wynonna out of $25 million will'

Her injury came a little over a year after she broke her right leg in four places and sustained nerve damage while hiking in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Emmy nominee had to be carried out in a hammock and said on Wednesday that she nearly lost her leg during the 67 hours it took to get help "without any pain medication."

© Photo: Getty Images

Naomi Judd's longtime partner Larry Strickland, Ashley Judd and Wynonna Judd took to the stage for Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration in May

Ashley explained on Wednesday that her recent injury was less serious and "healed in two months, lickety-split."

The Divergent actress' mom, Naomi, died by suicide in April in her Tennessee home. Ashley revealed the following month in an interview on Good Morning America that she was the one who found her mother, who had struggled with mental illness. "I have both grief and from discovering her," she told Diane Sawyer.

© Photo: Getty Images

Naomi and Wynonna had been set to embark on a final tour together before the matriarch's death

Naomi's death at the age of 76 came just a day before she and her daughter Wynonna — who performed as The Judds — were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

"Our mother couldn't hang on until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her peers," Ashley said in May. "That is the level of catastrophe of what was going on inside of her, because the barrier between the regard in which they held her couldn't penetrate into her heart, and the lie the disease told her was so convincing." The lie, she explained, is "that you're not enough, that you're not loved, that you're not worthy."

During her chat on Wednesday, Ashley opened up about how friends and family have supported her through her grief. In those first days, she said, "there was always someone with me at my house" and a friend "slept with me in the bed and held my hand all night."

MORE: Ashley Judd details how family is 'grieving together' after mom Naomi Judd's death

As the six-month anniversary of Naomi's passing approaches, the actress admitted that "there's a lot going on in my life right now."

Her sister, Wynonna, 58, had been set to tour with Naomi this year and decided to continue with The Judds: The Final Tour as a tribute to their mom. "I'm seeing two of the concerts this weekend, which brings up a lot of deep poignancy, both joy and sorrow," Ashley admitted.

She also referenced a "legal piece" going on with her family at the moment. It's been reported that Naomi's death led to a battle between Ashley and Wynonna over the estate, but the "No One Else on Earth" singer denied a rift in a People cover story earlier this month, asking, "Why would we be fighting over the will?"

She added, "The relationship I have with my sister is the most powerful in my life."

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