'Dallas' actress AnnaLynne McCord reveals she was suicidal after sexual assault

"Dallas" actress AnnaLynne McCord. (Reuters)

"Dallas" actress AnnaLynne McCord revealed she was on the brink of suicide after a sexual assault at age 18.

In a first-person article published in the July issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, former "90210" star, now 26, says she is speaking out to help other women who suffer in silence.

In the article, McCord said she had moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career when a friend who was staying in her apartment overnight attacked her as she slept. She did not identify the man.

McCord, who said she kept the rape secret at first, finally disclosed it to friends and family but remained tormented.

In her early 20s, her lingering emotional pain and a fight with a then-boyfriend prompted her to consider taking an overdose of pills. But she resisted and began a gradual recovery, McCord said.

At one point, however, a "90210" plotline in which her character was assaulted led to a "meltdown," she said.

The Georgia native, who credited her recovery to professional help and her work with abuse victims in Cambodia, said she is able to enjoy "profound intimacy" with her partner, actor Dominic Purcell ("Prison Break.")

The Associated Press contributed to this report.