Mental health problems including depression, anxiety and eating disorders affect one in four people in the UK each year, with many people keeping quiet about the challenges they are facing. However a number of celebrities have opened up about the mental health challenges they have faced in order to lose the stigma surrounding these conditions. From Chrissy Teigen's struggle with post-natal depression to Ellie Goulding's revelation that she suffered panic attacks and anxiety, take a look through to see some of the celebrities who have spoken about mental health…
© Photo: InstagramTeen star Bella Thorne told fans that she believed she had depression in a since-deleted tweet posted on 4 April. The 19-year-old tweeted: "Came to the conclusion that I struggle with depression :/ you aren't alone."
© Photo: InstagramChrissy Teigen wrote an essay for Glamour magazine explaining how she had struggled following the birth of her daughter Luna. "What basically everyone around me - but me - knew up until December was this: I have postpartum depression," she wrote. The mother-of-one revealed that she has since been taking antidepressants, and plans to see a therapist on a regular basis.
© Photo: InstagramFitness has become a big part of Ellie Goulding's life for more reasons than one. The singer says that exercise has helped to ease the anxiety and panic attacks she suffered after becoming famous in 2010. "I think part of what sparked my panic attacks was not feeling confident enough to believe in myself—I was scared I wasn’t as good of a singer as everyone thought I was. And as the stakes grew, I was afraid of letting everyone, including myself, down," Ellie wrote in an open letter.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCara Delevingne confessed to feeling suicidal as a teenager and became depressed after putting too much pressure on herself. "I think I pushed myself so far, I got to the point where I had a bit of a mental breakdown," Cara said in 2015. "I have very bad learning disabilities so I got to the point where I went a bit mad. I was completely suicidal, didn't want to live any more, I thought that I was completely alone."
© Photo: InstagramIn December 2016 Lady Gaga revealed she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after suffering from sexual abuse when she was a teenager. "I suffer from PTSD," the singer admitted on the Today Show. "I've never told anyone that before, so here we are. But the kindness that's shown to me by doctors as well as my family, and my friends, it's really saved my life."
© Photo: InstagramSelena Gomez took some time out of the spotlight to focus on her anxiety issues, which she said were a side-effect of her struggle with Lupus. "Around a year ago I revealed that I have Lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways," she said. "I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of Lupus, which can present their own challenges."
© Photo: Getty ImagesRyan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds credited his wife Blake Lively for helping to "keep me sane" when he suffered with intense anxiety while filming Deadpool. "I never, ever slept. Or I was sleeping at a perfect right angle – just sitting straight, constantly working at the same time. By the time we were in post [production], we'd been to Comic-Con, and people went crazy for it. The expectations were eating me alive." He added: "Blake helped me through that. I'm lucky to have her around just to keep me sane."
© Photo: InstagramFrankie Bridge has become one of mental health charity Mind's celebrity ambassadors after opening up about her experiences of depression. The mum-of-two said she spent years feeling "worthless" and "isolated" despite her success, and was admitted to a rehabilitation clinic in 2011. "I felt anxious all the time and I was having panic attacks; I knew there was something wrong," Frankie said in an interview in 2014.
© Photo: InstagramDemi Lovato has talked candidly about her eating disorder and self harming, previously saying it was a way of "expressing my own shame, of myself, on my own body". She once said: "There were some times where my emotions were just so built up, I didn't know what to do. The only way that I could get instant gratification was through an immediate release on myself."
© Photo: InstagramActress Hayden Panettiere has twice entered a treatment facility in order to address the postpartum depression she has suffered with since the birth of her daughter Kaya in December 2014. Confirming her decision to seek treatment in May 2016, Hayden said in a statement: "The postpartum depression I have been experiencing has impacted every aspect of my life. Rather than stay stuck due to unhealthy coping mechanisms I have chosen to take time to reflect holistically on my health and life. Wish me luck!"
