Christopher Reeve wanted to die after being paralysed
Late 'Superman' star Christopher Reeve wanted to die after he was left paralysed in a horse-riding accident but his wife Dana saved him from his dark thoughts.
Christopher Reeve wanted to die after he was left paralysed in a horse-riding accident.
The 'Superman' star - who died in 2004 at the age of 52 - suffered a life-changing spinal injury when he fell from his horse during an equestrian competition in Virginia in 1995 leaving him unable to move from the neck down - and now new documentary 'Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story' has revealed he was left contemplating death in the time after the accident.
In a trailer for the film, Reeve says: "[I thought] 'I ruined my life and everybody else’s. I won’t be able to ski, sail, throw a ball to [son] Will. Won’t be able to make love to [wife] Dana. Maybe we should let me go'."
However, the actor revealed kind words from his wife Dana helped change his outlook. He added: "And then she said the words that saved my life: 'You’re still you. And I love you'."
The new documentary features interview footage of Christopher and Dana - who died in 2006 - and their three children Matthew, 44, Alexandra, 40, and Will, 32, as well as famous friends including Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Daniels and Glenn Close.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and Will Reeve revealed the family was thrilled with the end result.
Speaking at the screening, he told the audience: "We knew ... if we were ever going to do this, it had to be the right time and the right team and that we were going to give over our archive, our home movies, sit for some raw and vulnerable interviews, and then place all of our trust and faith in the team that had assembled around us and see what they came back with.
"And the end result here is remarkable, so our trust has certainly been rewarded."
