Ellen DeGeneres on how hard coming out as gay hit her life and the death of her ex-girlfriend

The veteran daytime talk show host talked candidly about the struggles in her life that led her to her present success.

The popular talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres opened up about how the struggles she faced after coming out made her stronger than ever and acted as a springboard to her success.

According to Today, while chatting in an interview with Dax Shepard in his Armchair Expert podcast, DeGeneres talked about her decision to reveal her sexual orientation to the public in 1997.

The star faced a lot of criticism and backlash after coming out. But the biggest shock for her was cancellation of her famous show, Ellen, only a year after she came out. All of these sent her into depression as she struggled to fix her life.

The online source quoted DeGeneres revealing in the interview: "Everybody assumed I was just nonstop talking about it. It hurt my feelings. I was getting jokes made at my expense on every late-night show, people were making fun of me."

Because of her situation, she was seen as a failure in the business. She had no contacts with anyone from the industry. She had no agent nor a possibility of holding a job anytime soon. All this sent her to depression.

However, almost over two decades later, DeGeneres is still a force to be reckoned with in the business. She is not only famous but also super successful and beloved by many.

The turnaround she made in life is truly commendable. And DeGeneres thanks all her life experiences - both good and bad - for leading her to success today and making her a "stronger" person.

“I can't believe that I was able to achieve what I achieved, lose it all and then get to this point in my life at 60 years old," DeGeneres said. She also added that she had to start over at 45, which is unlikely for anyone to do, "much less a woman."