Evan Rachel Wood writes herself a letter of gratitude on Mother’s Day: ‘I am a queer, single, working, Mom, who is a survivor’

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

Evan Rachel Wood patted herself on the back this Mother’s Day by writing herself a “letter of gratitude”. The 34-year-old mom preached some self-love on her Instagram on Sunday, and praised herself for advocating for others and loving her child unconditionally.

“I am a queer, single, working, Mom, who is a survivor, and its normal for me to feel constantly judged,” she began her message. “I don’t get feedback or a  ‘thank you’. I very much have to rely on myself for almost all things.”

“I pick myself up, I do my own research, I wipe my own tears, I pat myself on the back, and I love my child with everything that I have,” she continued. “I don’t have a nanny, but I have a loving mother who helps me when she can.”

The Westworld star is a mother to her eight-year-old son, Jack Matfin Bell, whom she shares with ex-husband and Billy Elliot actor, Jamie Bell. Reflecting on her nine years as a mother, the activist wrote that motherhood “has been the hardest thing I have ever and will ever do, but it also saved my life and taught me more than I could have ever imagined”. To celebrate the special occasion, Wood thanked herself in her own Mother’s Day card.

She said: “Thank you for always fighting and advocating for them. Thank you for doing what will cause them the least damage, even if it breaks your own heart. Thank you for teaching them about music.

“Thank you for teaching them how to be accountable. Thank you for always working on yourself so they don’t have to inherit all your demons. Thank you for modeling resilience and self-care. Thank you for showing them how to stand up for others. Thank you for protecting them. Thank you for loving them. I know you will always be there no matter what. You love unconditionally. You are a good Mom, and you’ve come a long way. I am so proud of you. Happy Mothers Day.”

Wood is a longstanding advocate for survivors of domestic abuse. The HBO documentary Phoenix Rising, which was released last March, follows Wood as she attempts to extend California’s statute of limitations regarding the time period victims have in which to report domestic violence cases. The Phoenix Act passed and was signed into law in January 2020.

In February 2021, Wood publicly accused Manson of grooming her and subjecting her to abuse “for years” in a post shared to social media. “The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson,” Wood wrote. “He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail.”

“I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”

At least 15 other women have also accused Manson of sexual assault including Game of Thrones actor Esme Bianco.

Manson has dismissed all the claims as “horrible distortions of reality”, and his team had categorically denied similar allegations in the past.

Wood and Manson dated from 2006 to 2010, having met when Wood was 18 and Manson was 36 years old. Shortly after, Wood rekindled her romance with Jamie Bell, who she dated previously in 2005 when the two were teenagers. In the documentary, Wood explained that she and Bell never officially tied the knot in 2012. Instead, the two exchanged vows during a private ceremony. They welcomed their son in 2013, but split a year later.