'He pried my heart open': Lupita Nyong'o adopted cat Yoyo to help her through 'hard time'

Lupita Nyong'o adopted a rescue cat to help her through a "hard time" and she now can't "imagine life without" him.

The '12 Years A Slave' star used to be scared of cats, but she grew to love Schnitzel - the furry co-star she worked with on new movie 'A Quiet Place: Day One' - and she decided to get a cat of her own after going through a personal crisis revealing Yoyo moved in and "pried her heart open".

She told PEOPLE: "This film [ 'A Quiet Place: Day One'] forced me to learn about cats and I had to look like I loved the cat. In the process I actually fell in love [with the cat].

"There's something that melts your heart when they hold onto you. When I got back to my real life and I was going through a hard time, I just had a little voice saying: 'Get a cat' so I got a cat.

"I have not regretted it. I'm way less lonely with my cat. He pried my heart open."

Lupita previously admitted she was actually scared of cats before working with one on her 'A Quiet Place' prequel.

She told HELLO! magazine: "I had a real fear of them before this movie. I couldn't even ben in the same room as a cat, so that wasn't going to work.

"But I got some therapy and very slowly got over my fear, to the point that I was able to look convincing as the devoted cat owner that Sam is - hopefully."