Madonna Opens Up About 'Painful' Custody Battle With Guy Ritchie, Admits Suicidal Thoughts

Music legend Madonna has opened up about the darkest time in her life — the custody battle over her son Rocco with ex-husband Guy Ritchie — saying she once felt so overwhelmed that she contemplated suicide.

The 67-year-old pop icon made the emotional revelation on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast this week, describing the 2016 legal fight as "one of the most painful moments" of her life, PageSix reported.

"There were moments in my life [where] I wanted to cut my arms off," Madonna said. "I actually contemplated suicide. That probably sounds really weird coming from me because I'm not emo ... but I was like, 'I can't take this pain anymore.'"

The custody dispute began after Rocco, then 15, chose to live with his father in London instead of staying with Madonna in New York.

A judge later ruled Rocco could remain in the UK, but the emotional toll on Madonna was intense.

"Even though my marriage didn't work out ... someone trying to take my child away from me, it was like, 'They might as well just kill me,'" she explained. "That's what I was thinking."

Madonna Breaks Down During Custody Battle

At the time, Madonna was on her "Rebel Heart Tour," performing night after night while privately struggling with the ongoing legal battle.

"I would just be lying on the floor of my dressing room, sobbing," she said. "I really thought it was the end of the world. I couldn't take it."

Despite the pain, Madonna said she doesn't blame anyone anymore. She credited her spiritual practice with helping her through that period and changing her mindset.

"But thank God, I don't feel that way anymore," she added. "I'm happy to say that I'm really good friends with my son."

Madonna and Ritchie were married from 2000 to 2008. They welcomed Rocco in 2000. After their divorce, Madonna had primary custody until Rocco chose to live with his father, sparking the legal conflict.

According to DailyMail, the "Like a Virgin" singer shared that her discovery of Kabbalah in the mid-1990s helped her find purpose and peace.

She now sees hard times not as punishment but as lessons. "You need to be spiritual to be successful," she said. "Success is having a spiritual life, period."

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Madonna, Custody