35 celebrities' honest messages about mental health

After Meghan Markle admitted in her interview with Oprah that she'd had suicidal thoughts when pregnant, we've gathered some honest and inspiring quotes from celebs who've spoken out about their own struggles. You're not alone.

In her TV interview with Oprah, Meghan admitted having suicidal thoughts when she was five months pregnant with Archie. She said she was reluctant to tell people how she was feeling at first:

'I was really ashamed to say it at the time, and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially because I know how much loss he suffered.

'But I knew that if I didn't say it I would do it, and I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought.

She added:

'I share this because there’s so many people who are afraid to voice that they need help.' 

Former singer and Strictly Come Dancing contestant, Louise, has spoken about suffering suicidal thoughts during her marriage breakup.

Talking to the Mail on Sunday's You magazine, she said it was the thought of her kids that pulled her through. In the interview she said:

'I would be standing in Central London and would wonder whether it would be easier for a bus to take me out.

'I was like, "I would really like this to all go away. But I’ve got two little men who need me more than anything".

'That’s where my selfishness stops. They’re the only thing that kept me going.'

Kate Ferdinand welcomed baby Cree with husband Rio in late December. She is also stepmum to Rio's three children from his first marriage. However, during lockdown she admitted she was struggling.

Writing on Instagram she said:

'A mix of the new baby, lockdown, kids at home and lack of sleep have well and truly got me. I feel like I’m a robot going through the same routine daily, feed baby, wind baby, wait for him to wake and repeat.

'Don’t get me wrong I am blessed to live the life I do; a husband, 4 beautiful kids, 2 dogs (1 that’s still protesting because of baby!!) ... some moments I’m feeling amazing and full of love, but I’m too often left feeling low, like I can’t escape. I’m not sure if this is the after effects of a emergency c section, or the stress of another lockdown - maybe it’s even a mix of both.

'I feel so lucky to have just welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world, some people never get to experience this amazing feeling, but my emotions and anxiety are at an all time high ... all my coping mechanisms I’ve learnt over the years to keep my anxiety at bay I can’t utilise. A workout, a long walk, some alone time. Everything passes, and I know too this soon shall pass, I’m just in it right now.'

Prince Harry, 36, revealed to Forces TV that he suffered panic attacks after his mum, Princess Diana, died.

'In my case, suit and tie, every time I was in any room with loads of people, which is quite often, I was just pouring with sweat, like heart beating – boom, boom, boom, boom – and literally like a washing machine. I was like, "Oh my God, get me out of here now." Oh hang on, I can't get out of here, I have got to just hide it.'

Adele, 32, told Vanity Fair: 'I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me. I didn't talk to anyone about it. I was very reluctant.

'One day I said to a friend, "I f--kin' hate this," and she just burst into tears and said, "I f--kin’ hate this, too." And it was done. It lifted.'

Former Bake Off winner Nadiya, 35, shared on Instagram that she'd be presenting a new TV show called Nadiya: Anxiety and Me, during Mental Health Awareness Week last year. The caption read:

'It has been a long and slow process, physically, emotionally, but most of all mentally. But here it is. Every time I took one step forward I took three back. But finally, eventually, got there in the end. It’s still a long road and Im still on it. Steady, slow, but walking. I’m terrified to share this but I know how important it is. So let’s do it ... I know I’m not alone ... but we are in it together... #mentalhealthawareness #letstalk #notalone'

Hear Nadiya talking more about her mental health on the new Netmums podcast, Sweat, Snot & Tears.

Joe, 34, became a national hero when he started PE with Joe during the coronavirus pandemic. But in September, he opened up about his mental health struggles.

Like a lot of us, The Body Coach felt low after the increasingly bad news about COVID-19.

'I've just finished watching the press conference with Boris Johnson around the new UK Covid restrictions, and I can really feel for the first time this is really starting to take effect on my mental health,' he started.

'It's really bringing me down, I'm finding it hard to be optimistic. I can't even comprehend where the end is. That feeling of powerlessness and confusion is quite hard to deal with'.

The dad-of-two also offered some advice to others feeling this way.

'Have that dialogue about how it's affecting you. Don't bottle it up and feel like you're on your own.

'I wanna talk about the importance, of when you're feeling in this state, in this low mood, of exercise and getting your body moving to elevate your mental state.'

The Saturdays singer has opened up about being admitted to a rehabilitation clinic in 2012.

On the podcast Verified Views, she said:

'That was kind of a bit of a god-send for me – going into hospital – because it just gave me time to check out and check in with myself and to understand what mental health was.

'I felt I had control over it at one point and all of sudden I didn't. For me, knowledge was the key to understand what's happening to your body physically when you're having a panic attack.'

The mum of two, 32, is now a celebrity ambassador for mental health charity Mind.

Fearne, 39, revealed she had her first panic attack 'in months' in May 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

She shared that when she got into bed, her heart started racing and she was in 'a heightened state' before waking up feeling 'bruised and fuzzy' in the morning.

'Last night I had my first panic attack in months. It had been so long I had almost forgotten they can sneak up out of the blue, or pink, considering last nights moon,' she wrote on Instagram.

Fearne continued: 'I'm putting it out there for those who experience the same yet feel alone. I often feel I'm the only one who can’t do normal stuff like sleep well or stay calm in chaos so for all those in the same boat...we stand together. It'll pass, calm will resurface, it's just a road bump today, so for now we can feel tired and know that's O.K.'

In an interview in 1995, when she was 34, Lady Diana said: 'I was unwell with post-natal depression, which no one ever discussed ... and that in itself was a bit of a difficult time.

'You'd wake up in the morning feeling you didn't want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very low in yourself.'

She continued: 'I didn't like myself, I was ashamed because I couldn't cope with the pressures.'

Ellie, 33, wrote an essay for Well+Good saying: 'I started having panic attacks and the scariest part was it could be triggered by anything. I used to cover my face with a pillow whenever I had to walk outside from the car to the studio.

'My new life as a pop star certainly wasn’t as glamorous as all my friends from home thought. Secretly, I was really struggling physically and emotionally.'

The Harry Potter author, 55, told Oprah: 'It's so difficult to describe [depression] to someone who's never been there, because it's not sadness'.

She continued: 'But it's that cold absence of feeling – that really hollowed-out feeling.'

The model, 34, wrote an essay for Glamour about her mental health after she had her second child, Miles:

'I have postpartum depression. How can I feel this way when everything is so great? I've had a hard time coming to terms with that and I hesitated to even talk about this. It's such a major part of my life and so, so many other women's lives. It would feel wrong to write anything else. So here goes.'

Chrissy and husband John Legend recently suffered a miscarriage – read more here.

Now 46, the world-famous model told Vanity Fair: 'I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Marky Mark and Herb Ritts. It didn't feel like me at all. I felt really bad about straddling this buff guy. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die.'

She continued: 'I went to the doctor, and he said, "I'll give you some Valium," and Francesca Sorrenti [photographer], thank God, said, "You're not taking that."

'It was just anxiety. Nobody takes care of you mentally. There’s a massive pressure to do what you have to do.'

In an interview on Bryony Gordon's Mad World Podcast, the 46-year-old Spice Girl said: 'I think when you're young, and you have these dreams and aspirations you don't really think of the negatives, and everything has a negative ...

'So that all ended up in me not eating properly and exercising obsessively, because I thought I had to be a certain way to be deserving of everything that was happening to me ... to be a popstar I had to be perfect, and that was my way of trying to achieve perfection.'

The mum of two, 48, told Good Housekeeping: 'I felt like a zombie. I couldn’t access my heart. I couldn't access my emotions. I couldn't connect.'

She explained: 'I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child. But there are different shades of it and depths of it, which is why I think it’s so important for women to talk about it.

I felt like a failure.'

The Welsh actress, 51, has spoken on abc News about having Bipolar Disorder:

'I never wanted to be as open about it as I was. I have a British stiff-upper-lip mentality. I’m not the kind of person who likes to shout out my personal issues from the rooftops but, with my bipolar becoming public, I hope fellow sufferers will know it is completely controllable.

'I hope I can help remove any stigma attached to it, and that those who don’t have it under control will seek help with all that is available to treat it.'

'When I was 15, I was nearly 14 stone. I was uncomfortable and self-conscious,' revealed the 45-year-old Titanic actress, in an interview.

'Over a year, I sensibly got down to 10 stone. Then I became addicted to losing weight and went too far. I was never anorexic or bulimic.

'I went through a three-month experimental laxative time, which was absolutely awful. Luckily I was strong enough to be able to say to myself, "What are you doing? You are just really hungry." The whole weight thing drives me crazy. This stuff is so important to me because I have been there and know what a vicious cycle it is.'

Renowned model Cara, 28, said on This Morning: 'I was so ashamed of how I felt because I had such a privileged upbringing. I'm very lucky.

'But I had depression. I had moments where I didn't want to carry on living. But then the guilt of feeling that way and not being able to tell anyone because I shouldn't feel that way just left me feeling blame and guilt.'

Mariah, 50, spoke about her battle with bipolar disorder to People: 'It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn't do that any more. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love – writing songs and making music.'

The Love Actually actress, 61, spoke about her battle with depression on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs: 'I think my first bout of that was when I was doing Me and My Girl, funnily enough.

'I really didn't change my clothes or answer the phone, but went into the theatre every night and was cheerful and sang the Lambeth Walk.

'That's what actors do. But I think that was my first bout with an actual clinical depression.'

Lady Gaga, 34, revealed she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder on the Today Show, in 2016. It came after the Poker Face singer experienced sexual abuse as a teenager.

In 2018, at an awards show, she shared her experience in more detail:

'I began to notice that I would stare off into space and black out for seconds or minutes. I would see flashes of things I was tormented by, experiences that were filed away in my brain with "I'll deal with you later" for many years because my brain was protecting me, as science teaches us. These were also symptoms of disassociation and PTSD and I did not have a team that included mental health support.'

In a radio interview, Ariana, 27, opened up about her mental state after the Manchester attacks: 'You try not to give into fear ... that was the point of finishing my tour, to set an example for my fans.

'It's scary going anywhere and you look at places differently ... you don't want to give in, you don't want to be afraid, but it's still there.'

The 31-year-old actress revealed to the Wall Street Journal:

'The first time I had a panic attack I was sitting in my friend's house, and I thought the house was burning down. I called my mom and she brought me home, and for the next three years it just would not stop.'

Carrie, who passed away in 2016, wrote in her memoir Wishful Drinking: 'One of the things that baffles me (and there are quite a few) is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder.

'In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls. At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if you’re living with this illness and functioning at all, it’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of.'

The Disney channel actress, 28, spoke out about her bipolar disorder in an interview with Elle:

'I think when someone gets to rock bottom and they need a way out of that hole, the only way to get out is to surrender and ask for help.'

Lena, a 34-year-old actress and writer, wrote an honest post on her Instagram: 'Promised myself I would not let exercise be the first thing to go by the wayside when I got busy with Girls Season 5 and here is why: it has helped me with my anxiety in ways I've never dreamed possible.

'To those struggling with anxiety, OCD, depression: I know it's mad annoying when people tell you to exercise, and it took me about 16 medicated years to listen. I'm glad I did.

'It ain't about the ass, it's about the brain.’

In an interview with Cosmo, the rapper, 37, revealed: 'At one point, I was, like, "What would happen if I just didn’t wake up?" That’s how I felt. Like, "Maybe I should just take my life?"'

Twilight star Kristen, 30, told Marie Claire magazine:

'Between ages 15 and 20, it was really intense. I was kind of a control freak. If I didn't know how something was going to turn out, I would make myself ill, or just be locked up or inhibited in a way that was really debilitating.'

The 27-year-old Miley told Elle: '[My fans] know that I’ve struggled with depression, and that helped them get over theirs.

'That gives me a big purpose – a reason to wake up in the morning that’s bigger than to put on my f***king feathers and my little outfits.'

Halle, 54, told Parade magazine how she felt after her divorce: 'I was sitting in my car, and I knew the gas was coming, when I had an image of my mother finding me.'

She continued: 'She sacrificed so much for her children, and to end my life would be an incredibly selfish thing to do. It was all about a relationship. My sense of worth was so low.'

On The Talk, a CBS show, she said: 'When I disclosed it to our manager at the time, bless his heart, he was like, "Y'all just signed a multimillion-dollar deal and you're about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about?" So I was like, "Oh, maybe I'm just tired."'

The Destiny's Child member, 41, continued: 'I was at that place where it got so dark and heavy, because sometimes you feel like, "I'm the provider, I take care of people. I'm not supposed to be feeling this way. What do I do?" And I wanted out.'

The 34-year-old model and actress took to Instagram to say:

'I had hit a rock bottom.. I couldn't find happiness anywhere except my dog's face and even that wasn't enough. I thought I had failed at being a human being an adult.'

She explained: 'I chose to fight and I thought it meant I'd be able to live. I DIDN'T think it meant I'd be able to live my dream. I DIDN'T think it would result in this extraordinary life I get to be a part of now ...'

Kesha, 33, told Billboard magazine: 'I've battled a lot of things, including anxiety and depression.

'Finding the strength to come forward about those things is not easy. But maybe, by telling my story, I can help someone else going through tough times.'

Star of The Big Bang Theory, Mayim, 44, posted a video on mental health for the Child Mind Institute, saying: 'What I would like to tell my younger self about mental health is that there are answers.

'For me, some of those answers I had to wait years to find and I needed to get different help, which ended up being the right kind of help.

'But I had this notion when I was younger that if something didn't work once, or a therapist didn't work or a medication didn't work, that nothing would ever work. I wish I could have told my younger self something will work.'