'Baywatch: Hawaii' star Brandy Ledford says she 'wanted to truly check out' before rehab saved her life

Brandy Ledford has plenty of reasons to celebrate these days.

The actress, who made hearts race as lifeguard Dawn Masterton on "Baywatch: Hawaii," recently marked 14 years of sobriety. Today, the 57-year-old is a wellness advocate, yoga teacher and creator on Passes, where she shares exclusive content and connects directly with fans.

But before she found peace, Ledford said she reached her breaking point.

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"There was a moment when I realized something had to change in my life," Ledford told Fox News Digital. "I definitely was abusing substances to avoid my feelings. And I was doing it in a way that was really harmful to me, to my mental health and to my family. And I had a harrowing last night before I checked myself into rehab."

"I didn't know there was going to be a way out," she admitted.

Ledford said addiction ultimately left her feeling trapped, hopeless and convinced nothing could numb her pain.

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"I didn't feel like there was a way out," she shared. "Drinking didn't solve my problems. I was addicted to prescription pain medication. [That] didn't solve my problems. And in the end, it didn't really take away any of the things I didn't want to be feeling. And that was my last hope. And when I figured that that didn't work anymore, I really just wanted to truly check out because I didn't see a way out."

Ledford previously told Basic magazine that she struggled with alcohol and drug addiction for much of her life. According to the outlet, she began smoking marijuana at age 11 and was using cocaine and drinking alcohol by age 14. Ledford was jailed twice on alcohol-related charges before turning 17 and developed a cocaine addiction by 18.

Years later, Ledford said she reached a turning point after what she described as "a really horrible last night," the moment she realized something had to change.

"The next day, I checked myself into rehab and found the way out," she said.

Ledford said the greatest gift sobriety gave her wasn't the one she expected. Instead, she found something she never knew she was missing.

"The friendships," she said, fighting back tears. "I didn’t know that I would find my best friends in sobriety. I have a really solid network of girlfriends I've had for 40 years, and they’re here in my life. I made a couple of friends in sobriety who are my lifelines."

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"I didn't expect the friendships," she said. "I didn't know that was a possibility. Then I found the community and the network of sober sisters who really support each other and lift each other through everything we go through. I didn't expect my life would be perfect. I never thought, 'Oh good, now I'm sober, everything's going to line up.' But I do know that if I stay sober, eventually things line up. And I learned that from the really brave women in this recovery program."

Ledford once kept her addiction struggles private. Today, she's sharing her story in hopes of inspiring others to seek recovery while leaning on her faith in God every step of the way.

The actress said sharing her recovery journey has become one of the most meaningful parts of her life.

"It really is one day at a time," she said. "I give a lot of credit to my higher power, my God, because I couldn't do it without God's help. I have a strong faith. I also didn't expect people to want to hear from somebody in the public about their sobriety. I didn't expect so many people to talk to me about my sobriety and be helped by my story. And what I love about that is I'm able to share my experience so that my experience wasn't wasted."

"I went through a lot, a lot of really challenging, tough times," she said. "And the fact that I can use that now to help others and create strength and hope in others — and in myself — is such a gift of sobriety. It's such a way to keep us sober, to share our stories. But I never really expected people wanted to hear what I had to say."

"I didn't expect to ever talk about that in a public way. And I'm so proud to do so. I'm so proud to be able to help others and just share my truth, my story. And I'm not ashamed of it. I just want to shine a light on how good your life can get when you can be free of addiction."

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Ledford said sobriety didn't just transform her life. It also strengthened her relationship with God.

"My relationship with God has helped shape this new chapter in my life by listening to His will, by turning my will and my life over to God," she said. "Any time I have a decision to make, I lean on my faith to help me find the answers. I pause instead of making rash decisions, and ... I have even more trust that the answers will come."

"There's an expression: 'Trust God, clean house,'" she beamed. "I didn't know that before I got sober, but I always talked about how much faith I had. Faith and trust are so different, and it's such a layered concept."

Ledford said she has developed a deeper understanding of her relationship with God by learning to trust Him while remaining true to herself.

The desire to connect with others has also shaped Ledford’s latest venture. As a creator on Passes, she said the platform allows her to build meaningful relationships with fans on her own terms.

The site lets celebrities, athletes and digital creators share content and interact directly with subscribers.

"I don't answer my DMs on Instagram, TikTok or Twitter (now X) only because I get a lot of them," she said. "It's not personal. But in this way, I feel like I get to have a relationship with fans, and they get to know the real me. I get to really connect on a one-on-one level, but I also get to be my full self and benefit from it, benefit from being who I want to be without somebody dictating how they think it should be. And it's fun. It's a really fun way to share my life with others and connect."

"My whole idea of connection is the opposite of addiction," she said. "And to be able to connect with people in a one-on-one way and to really be free to do so, it's kind of brilliant. I love this new world, with us getting to be in control, getting to be in charge and still being super creative."

These days, Ledford is embracing a new chapter. In addition to doing voiceover work for "King of the Hill," she serves on the board of the Red Songbird Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 2009 by singer Hilary Roberts, who has been sober from drugs and alcohol since 1997. The organization provides support for people struggling with trauma, mental health challenges, substance abuse disorder and PTSD.

"I'm really proud to be in a position where I can do things that help others," Ledford said. "I just want to continue."