Leah Remini Talks About Leaving Church of Scientology: ''There's a Lot of Pain Connected to It''

Actress was a lifelong member

It's been two years since Leah Remini left the Church of Scientology, and she says her family is still reeling from the entire experience.

During a guest appearance on Oprah Winfrey's Where Are They Now?, the 44-year-old actress explained the reasoning behind her decision to leave.

"My mother was in Scientology my whole life. Most people don't know that we were raised in it. I didn't decide to get into it—I was brought into it by my mom," the former King of Queens star shared.

"I don't think people knew the amount of dedication it takes to be in this organization. I mean, it was every day, three-and-a-half hours minimum, seven days a week usually. You know, I'm working most of the time, and then the other time was spent at the church, so minimal time is really spent with your family."

Remini revealed that it was her daughter, Sofia, was the catalyst behind her separating from the church.

"I was at one of these hotels in Florida, and I saw my daughter swimming for the first time while I'm reading this thing…and a tear came down my face. And I was like, 'What am I doing?'"

And while it was "a culmination of things," in the end, Remini added that spending more time with her family "was a big one in my mind."

"Our decision to leave the organization—it's not just something you get over. It's people and a lifestyle you've known all your life. It formed who I am, good and bad. It formed the way I think, good and bad. And so there's a lot of pain connected to it, there's a lot of healing