Country music star LeAnn Rimes says hitting 'rock bottom' was the key to 'thriving'

LeAnn Rimes has navigated many highs and lows throughout her 43 years – from reaching career milestones as a kid to managing health struggles and hitting her version of "rock bottom".

The singer and actress – who broke into the industry as a country music star at just 13 – says she is currently "thriving" but it's taken facing the hardest challenges to get there.

"We all have to break – and not just once," she said in a new interview with Us Weekly.

"It will happen often. Rock bottom looks different for everybody [but] you have a choice. In my darkest moments, it's always been about, 'How do I find the light again?'"

For Rimes, those "darkest moments" have taken different forms over the years.

The singer and actress – who won her first Grammy at just 14 – says she initially "felt like an outcast" as a "kid in a very adult world".

"The whole industry had this camaraderie that I wasn't included in because I was so young," she told the publication.

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But slowly, over time, she found her people and says by the time she recorded her 17th album, 2022's God's Work, she had so many people around her she could call on.

And while she's found her stride, her relationship with her career hasn't always been like this.

"I'm sure there are moments where I was like, 'I'm done'. I still have those where I'm exhausted. I've done this for a long time," she said.

But it's ultimately her "love" for what she does that keeps her coming back.

Rimes doesn't think she'd ever be able to walk away from music.

The challenges haven't tainted her work life, Rimes has been candid about her struggles with several health concerns including anxiety, depression, psoriasis and more recently perimenopause.

Rimes told the publication that the first time she opened up about her struggles with psoriasis – an autoimmune condition that casues inflammation in the skin – "was such a moment of relief because [she] had been hiding that for so long".

She feels like it's been the same with discussing her mental health battles and more recently, perimenopause.

While she is currently navigating the challenging symptoms of perimenopause which she says "is no joke" she is feeling "really good in her body".

"I feel good even though I have my hormonally challenged days," she said adding that understanding the facts of perimenopause has helped her find her way through.

"It is such a transformational and beautiful part of life if we know what's going on with our bodies."

Overall, Rimes says she is "proud" of where she's at at this point in her life.

"I'm proud of being here, because a lot of people that start at my age don't see 43," she said.

"I'll cry talking about it, but I'm really proud of the fact that I'm doing good and I'm thriving. I've gone through so much, and I'm in awe."

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