Hannah Murray, the actress who rose to fame as Cassie on Skins and Gilly on Game of Thrones, will release her debut memoir The Make-Believe on June 9, revealing how a quest for wellness led her into a high-control group and, eventually, a psychiatric hospital.
**At a Glance
- The memoir tracks Murray’s seven-year journey from Hollywood burnout to bipolar diagnosis and recovery
- She joined an organization promising “spiritual awards” but found rigid control and mounting costs
- A breakdown landed her in treatment, where she reclaimed her narrative
- Why it matters: The book offers a rare, first-person look at how celebrity stress and vulnerability can open the door to coercive groups
From TV Stardom to Personal Crisis
Murray entered the entertainment industry as a teenager. While her on-screen roles earned global fans, the off-camera pressures mounted. She pushed herself “mentally and physically to the brink,” according to the book’s synopsis. After visiting an energy healer, she kept searching for deeper relief and turned to an organization led by a “charismatic leader” who pledged further “spiritual awards” if she committed fully.
Inside the Organization
- Members faced “high control and financial outlay,” the synopsis states
- Murray became “dangerously in love” with the leader
- The group’s demands escalated, stripping away personal autonomy
- She “fully ceded control of her life,” the text adds
The environment, initially framed as healing, morphed into one that dictated her choices and drained her finances. The leader’s influence grew so complete that Murray lost sight of her own identity outside the group.
Breakdown and Turning Point
The pressure culminated in a mental breakdown. Murray was admitted to a psychiatric facility, where doctors diagnosed her with bipolar disorder. The stay became the wake-up call she needed. For the first time in years, she confronted the reality that she had surrendered her agency to someone else’s script.
Writing Her Way Out
The memoir took seven years to complete. “I’m very, very proud of this book,” Murray told News Of Los Angeles exclusively. “Throughout that process, I’ve felt empowered to be telling my own story and reclaiming my own narrative.”
She describes the writing experience as “the most powerfully rewarding thing I’ve ever known,” even though revisiting the events proved painful. The act of shaping her memories into chapters allowed her to examine both the “magical” moments and the “chaotic, sometimes painful and dark” chapters without judgment.
Early Praise and Publication Details
- Bestselling author Dolly Alderton calls the memoir “like nothing I have ever read before”
- The Dial Press will release the book on June 9
- Pre-orders are now live wherever books are sold
- Publisher notes the story “will resonate with anyone who has struggled to find agency”
Murray hopes readers see the book as more than a celebrity tell-all. By exposing the mechanics of coercion and the fragility that can accompany life in the public eye, she aims to help others recognize when devotion crosses into danger.
Key Takeaways
- Celebrity status can amplify vulnerability, not eliminate it
- High-control groups often target seekers under stress
- A psychiatric diagnosis, while daunting, can mark the start of genuine recovery
- Reclaiming one’s story can be as healing as any therapy
The cover, revealed exclusively by News Of Los Angeles, features a quiet portrait of Murray gazing forward-an image chosen, she says, to signal that she now faces life on her own terms.
