The following story contains discussion of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, abortion, and animal death.

CONTENT WARNING

A marred childhood

Judd opened up about her past in 2017 while speaking at the World Congress Against Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls. "I was molested for the first time I remember at the age of seven," she said, adding that during her early modeling days, "I experienced two rapes at the age of 14."

Messy custody dispute

Judd and half-sister Wynonna were in a legal dispute when Ashley was awarded custody of Wynonna's daughter, after she accused her mom of "verbal abuse, pill-popping and boozing." Ashley filed a police report in 2013 after a mechanic found a GPS tracking device hidden in her car, believing Wynonna had planted it there.

Terminated a pregnancy

At the 10th Annual Women in the World Summit in 2019, Judd opened up about her own sexual assault and abortion while discussing legislation that had recently been passed in Georgia, which would ban abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected. This can occur before a woman even realizes that she's pregnant.

Her first divorce

In 2001, Judd married racing driver Dario Franchitti, but divorced him in January 2013, though she said she will continue to be family for him. Less than a year later, Judd demonstrated this loyalty when she rushed to Franchitti's side after he broke his ankle in a crash during the Grand Prix of Houston.

Losing her dog

One way Judd managed to cope with her depression and mental health issues was with the aid of her emotional support dog, Shug. Sadly, in 2017, she broke the news that Shug "was getting ready to go to heaven," and he died at age 17.