Meghan Markle makes touching gesture to Prince Harry as she opens up on suicidal thoughts

As Meghan was asked about her response to "bullying and abuse" on social media by host Jane Pauley, she could be seen clutching Prince Harry's knee.

The 43-year-old duchess had told Oprah Winfrey in 2021 she "just didn't want to be alive anymore" after online abuse - and opened up on the issue once again to CBS.

Meghan said: "When you've been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey - certainly part of mine - is being able to be really open about it.

"I never really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way."

As she held Harry's knee, Meghan continued: "I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans, and I would never want someone else to not be believed.

"If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them, and not assume the appearance is good so everything is OK, then that's worth it... I'll take a hit for that."

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Host Pauley noted that when asking Meghan about the topic, she was "dancing around this because I can see you're uncomfortable with me even going there".

And Meghan's confession that she never "scraped the surface" on her experience mirrored Prince Harry's comments that parents "wouldn't be able to tell the signs of possible suicide" if young victims of online abuse didn't speak up.

Harry said: "At this point, we've got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder.

"And even the best first responders in the world wouldn't be able to tell the signs of possible suicide... That is the terrifying piece of this."

But despite the Sussexes' touching words and gestures, one body language expert claimed Prince Harry looked "bored" in the interview.

Judi James told the Mirror that Harry seemed "disengaged" - sitting in stark contrast to Meghan.

She said: "Her engagement with the interviewer is as powerful as Harry's disengagement signals at the start of this clip while the two women speak.

"We see him in the clip gazing off into the distance with a serious facial expression while his wife tells a much more sociable and emotional story."

Anyone who is in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide can call the Samaritans anonymously for free from a UK phone on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org.