Orange is the New Black star Laura Prepon says she has left Scientology

Actor says she broke away from the church five years ago

Laura Prepon, star of Orange is the New Black, has revealed that she has left the Church of Scientology.

Prepon, who is married to fellow actor, Ben Foster, said she left in 2016 and now practises meditation instead.

In an interview with People, Prepon said: “I’m no longer practising Scientology. I haven’t practiced Scientology in close to five years and it’s no longer part of my life.”

She went on to detail her current spiritual life that she shares with her husband, saying: “We meditate daily and I’m really liking it, because it’s something that helps me to hear my own voice and it’s something we can do together.”

These are Prepon’s first public comments about Scientology since she was featured on the cover of Celebrity, a magazine affiliated with the church.

At that point, she credited Scientology with helping ease her anxiety. “In my life, things have become much easier, I’m not affected like I used to be,” she said. “Things don’t bother me that had before. I don’t react like I did before.

“I remember I was doing a show with an amazing actor, and we were waiting to hear the fate of our show. He turned to me one day and asked, ‘How are you always so relaxed? Nothing seems to bother you. I want to know what you are doing.’ I take that as such a compliment and testament to the auditing I have done.”

Prepon is not the first celebrity to leave Scientology in recent years, following King of Queens star Leah Remini who has gone on to speak out against practices inside the church.