Dominic Monaghan Recalls Evangeline Lilly Split and His Turning Point: 'I Was Surrounded by Pills'

Dominic
J. Merritt/FilmMagic

Monaghan opened up about the split while appearing on Anna Faris' 'Unqualified' podcast.

Dominic Monaghan is opening up about his "devastating" split from Lost co-star Evangeline Lilly. While appearing on Anna Faris' Unqualified podcast, Monaghan got candid about his past relationships, but it was his split from Lilly that the Lord of the Rings actor said hurt the most.

"I think I've only really got my heart broken once in my life. I was dating an actress on Lost called Evangeline Lilly, who, you know, has gone on to have a name all of her own. I don't really know how she would explain the narrative, but from my point of view, it was probably the first time in my life that I was all in," Monaghan recalled.

The actor, who dated Lilly from 2004 to 2007, claimed that the pair was even discussing marriage and kids, and while things appeared great between the couple, Monaghan said it was his drinking and partying that ultimately led to their split.

"Even though I would get my work done and at that point I was a very committed actor to Lost, I would only consider it a weekend if I was drunk out of my mind on a Friday and Saturday night. I thought that was normal," he shared. 

"I think if you are drinking often, probably your behavior, choices and mood are up for debate and I think Evie was pretty straight down the middle...I was always the guy that wanted more," Monaghan added.

Monaghan claims his partying ways prompted Lilly to look elsewhere, adding that he found out they were no longer together after he claims she began dating someone else.

"I think she was looking around to see what else was an option," he alleged. "Unfortunately, there was a bit of a crossover which was upsetting for me, and it exploded in my face in an awful way." 

Monaghan said that he found out Lilly was allegedly seeing someone else while they were together because someone else told him.

"I genuinely think they were trying to help. They didn't think I had all the facts and thought there was a chance the island of Oahu was laughing at me," he explained, telling Faris that that the devastation of their dissolving relationship coupled with feeling like the Lost crew knew Lilly was allegedly cheating on him and had kept the secret from him was almost too much to bear.

"I mean, to say I was devastated is an understatement, you know. I had to be told by a third party like, 'You do realize that she's with this guy,' when we were together. And I was like, 'Wait, what?. And this person was like, 'Yeah,'" he recalled.

Monaghan continued to party to numb the pain of their split, but about two months into their breakup, he realized he needed to make a change before he went down a path he couldn't come back from. 

"Two months into the breakup I woke up on my kitchen floor, I didn't know what time it was, and my house was black," Monaghan recounted. "I was surrounded by pills, and I was messed up on medication. I sat up and looked at this mess in front of me and thought, 'This could have been it.' I could have accidentally taken the wrong cocktail of stuff mixed with alcohol, mixed with where my head's at and that could have been it. At that point it was a big turning point."

Despite their difficult breakup, Monaghan told Faris he's grateful for the time they shared together and for how their relationship -- and eventual breakup -- shaped him as a person.

"I've broken up with girls before, and when I've looked at it I've thought, 'Well, she's a lovely person, but it was never gonna work,'" he explained. "But certainly, when I was with Evie, I was like, 'This is fine. The little things that, you know, we're working on, we will figure out. And we will make beautiful shapes with each other into eternity.' And I think like, losing that potential was super sad. But it also got me to where I am as a person. So, I'm very happy that it all happened."

ET has reached out to Lilly's reps for comment.

RELATED CONTENT