ESPN's Stephen A. Smith gets candid on death of his mom, reveals therapy helped cope with 'miserable' time

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith talked courageously about getting help with his mental health following the death of his beloved mother in 2017.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

"We struggled tremendously," Smith said. "We knew how to do without. We knew how to survive but we certainly knew that we were poor … No question about it, we were deprived of a lot of things because of our circumstances. But the respect and admiration for her just elevated amongst all of us because in order to be able to take care of us, there had to be such an incomparable level of selflessness where it was about us and it wasn’t about her.

"She’s the reason that I always came up with a slogan when it came to me and my two daughters and this is if they’re hungry, it’s because I’m starving. I’m not comfortable unless they’re comfortable. I don’t eat unless I know they eat. I’m not living comfortably unless I know they’re OK. They are first. I got that from mom because mom was that way and she mandated that her children be that way as well. And certainly, my four older sisters are definitely that way. And it’s because of her."