A candid testament to marital resilience and the power of patience, highlighting how Christopher French’s grounded nature helped Ashley navigate a difficult postpartum period.
The real drama? Ashley thought her mental health toolkit was enough, only to realize PPD is a hormonal beast that ignores therapy techniques, leading to multiple divorce threats she now laughs about.
1. Ashley admitted on the Sept. 30 episode of Christopher’s podcast that she tried to divorce him 'so many times.' 2. She was not formally diagnosed with PPD until her daughter Jupiter’s 2nd birthday in 2023. 3. Her OB initially misdiagnosed her with PMDD, claiming there was 'nothing to do for it.'
Ashley Tisdale’s story is a stark reminder that postpartum depression isn’t just 'sadness'—it’s a hormonal hijack that can derail a marriage if the partner doesn’t have the emotional stamina to ride out the storm.
Ashley Tisdale French is pulling back the curtain on the darkest chapter of her marriage, revealing that she repeatedly threatened to leave husband Christopher French during her intense battle with postpartum depression. In a raw moment on the Wednesday, September 30, episode of French’s “Recovering” podcast, the 41-year-old actress admitted to her husband, “I tried to divorce you so many times.” She laughed off the confession, but the underlying tension was palpable, describing the first year after welcoming daughter Jupiter in 2021 as a period of significant difficulty.
According to Tisdale French, her previous success in managing anxiety made her feel equipped for motherhood, but the reality of postpartum depression (PPD) shattered that confidence. “But then, I got hit with postpartum depression, which is really hormonal and all of the tools that I had learned and knew to use, like, you can’t use. The hormonal stuff is the hardest part,” she explained, highlighting the disconnect between emotional coping mechanisms and hormonal imbalances.
The drama wasn’t just in the marriage; it was in the medical system’s failure to properly identify the issue. Tisdale French described a frustrating journey where her OB-GYN initially dismissed her symptoms as PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), a condition she noted makes you feel normal for only two weeks a month. “I remember my OB was saying, ‘Oh, you have PMDD.’ And I’m like, ‘What is that?’...
And she’s like, ‘We have nothing to do for that,’” Tisdale recalled. This lack of clear diagnosis and treatment left her feeling isolated and confused, wondering why her mental health strategies weren’t working. It wasn’t until Jupiter’s second birthday that she received a formal PPD diagnosis, a timeline that underscores how easily new mothers can fall through the cracks in healthcare.
Christopher French, 44, offered a contrasting perspective, describing the experience of watching his wife suffer as “crazy” from the outside. He emphasized the difference between emotional struggles and hormonal ones, noting that the latter is “almost beyond your grasp.” He recounted how Ashley’s mood could shift drastically within minutes while holding their newborn, moving from joy to despair without warning. Despite the chaos, French chose to remain steadfast.
“You’re so grounded and calm and knew to just let it blow over,” Ashley said, acknowledging that his patience was the anchor that kept them together when she was ready to walk away. The couple has since welcomed a second daughter, Emerson, in 2024, and Tisdale French noted that she did not have “the same experience” with PPD this time around. The revelation serves as a critical public service announcement for mothers navigating similar struggles, emphasizing that PPD is a medical condition, not a character flaw.
By sharing her story, Ashley and Christopher are shedding light on the often-silenced reality of hormonal mental health crises and the vital role supportive partners play in weathering the storm. For anyone struggling, the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (833-852-6262) remains available for free, confidential support.
