‘Skins’ star Hannah Murray reveals she was sectioned after joining cult
Game of Thrones and Skins star Hannah Murray has revealed she was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2017 as a result of her involvement with a wellness cult.
The 35-year-old actor’s revelation came about as part of The Bookseller’s announcement of her upcoming memoir, The Make-Believe. It will hit shelves in 2026 under the Hutchinson Heinemann label, whose publisher Helen Conford won the UK and Commonwealth rights for the book after a 13-way bidding war.
Murray has yet to comment publicly on the experience, but in a statement, she said of telling all within the book, “The Make-Believe tells a deeply personal story that has lived inside me for many years and which it now feels vital to share. I could not be more thrilled to be working with Helen Conford, whose vision for the book aligns perfectly with mine.”
The actor continued: “I’m grateful to Helen and the whole team at Hutchinson Heinemann for their belief in this book and its story, and I can’t wait to start working together.”
Meanwhile, the publishing house added, “This is the story of the blurred line between what is real, and what is an illusion; what we must accept and what we wish to be true; between solid earth beneath your feet and a world where anything is possible if you only commit. It is about the lure of those that tell us they can save us and the deceptive structure of organisations that promise us ‘wellness’. It’s about the acting world, but also about the way all of us act, hiding our vulnerabilities from everyone except the people trained to prey on them.”
Conford was also full of praise for Murray as a writer, saying, “Hannah’s writing is astute, deeply felt, rigorous and compulsive. The Make-Believe is about Hannah’s own life, but her story expands our empathy beyond its current scope. We couldn’t put it down and think it is a profound and long-lasting book. We’re over the moon she chose to work with us.”
As of yet, the details regarding the specifics of Murray’s experience with the wellness cult haven’t been revealed, but she has been out of the public eye for many years. Although she was once a prolific actor, her last television role was in 2020’s The Expecting.
Before starring in Thrones, Murray was best known for her role as the troubled Cassie Ainsworth in Channel 4 teen drama Skins. She was only 17 when she started playing the role and soon found herself portraying tough topics like suicide, anorexia, substance abuse, and teen pregnancy.
Murray once told Backstage magazine, “I thought being an actor meant being tortured and angst-ridden and suffering and [that] I had to feel everything for real and hold on to it. I really believed in the idea of the tortured artist. And that is not sustainable, by any means.”
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