Kit Harington Seeks Treatment For ‘Personal Issues’

“Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington is seeking treatment for “personal issues” at a wellness retreat, a representative of the actor confirmed Tuesday to HuffPost. 

“Kit has decided to utilize this break in his schedule as an opportunity to spend some time at a wellness retreat to work on some personal issues,” the rep said. 

News of Harington’s treatment comes two weeks after HBO aired the series finale of “Game of Thrones,” the mega-hit that catapulted the actor into the spotlight for playing Jon Snow for its eight-year run. The finale was watched by a record 17.4 million viewers.

The actor has talked openly of the emotional toll that playing Snow for so many years took on him, particularly the star’s rapid rise to fame and his eventual role as the show’s focus. 

In an interview with Variety earlier this year, Harington said he sought therapy at one point during the series when his character became the main storyline driving “Game of Thrones,” noting the intensity of the pressure on him.

“It wasn’t a very good time in my life,” he said. “I felt I had to feel that I was the most fortunate person in the world, when actually, I felt very vulnerable. I had a shaky time in my life around there — like I think a lot of people do in their 20s. That was a time when I started therapy, and started talking to people. I had felt very unsafe, and I wasn’t talking to anyone.”

Harington also described the mixed emotions he felt saying goodbye to the show he had worked on since he was 21 years old. 

In an interview with Esquire published in April, Harington described his last day of shooting.

“I felt fine . . . I felt fine . . . I felt fine. . . Then I went to do my last shots and started hyperventilating a bit. Then they called, ‘Wrap!’ And I just fucking broke down. It was this onslaught of relief and grief about not being able to do this again,” he said. 

When crew members went to remove his costume, Harington described the process as feeling like he was “being skinned.” 

“It felt like they were unceremoniously, for the last time, ripping off this character,” he added. 

Quite understandably, the actor has said he hopes to play a “lighter” role in the future. 

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Harington said, “It’s a very heavy, heavy show, heavy role.”