Rene Russo didn’t expect to reveal her bipolar disorder -- but she did

Rene Russo surprised everyone on stage -- including maybe herself -- when she revealed during a taping of “The Queen Latifah Show� that she has bipolar disorder.

Queen Latifah had asked Russo and her “Nightcrawler� costar Jake Gyllenhaal on Monday to describe something in life that they’d each had to “push through,� and after a pause the actress blurted out, “Bipolar medication?�

“That’ll do it,� the host said.

“She’s got me beat,� added Gyllenhaal.

“Yeah baby!� Russo said, laughing and clapping her hands.

The 60-year-old star of “The Thomas Crown Affair� quickly composed herself and explained what prompted her to seek treatment.

“I literally crashed, hit a wall and couldn’t get out of bed,� Russo said, after noting that she’d been “stop and go� all her life. “And I thought it was depression, but if you [have bipolar disorder and] take antidepressants, it speeds you up more.�

She added that she “didn’t expect to say this� and hadn’t shared the information before.

Addressing “all the people that are having trouble and maybe feel bad about taking medication,� she said, “It’s OK. You will make it through. It’s not easy, but you will make it through.�

Russo didn’t get into specifics about her situation, like when she started taking medication or whether she’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder I, bipolar disorder II -- think Catherine Zeta-Jones -- or another form of the condition.

People with a bipolar disorder see their moods swing dramatically in varying degrees between mania and depression.

The “Queen Latifah� episode with her and Gyllenhaal -- People has a teaser clip -- will air Oct. 30, the day before “Nightcrawler� opens in theaters.

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