Roxie Nafousi is set to star in the premiere of Davina McCall's much-anticipated new talk show, The Davina Hour, contributing to the episode's topic of self-worth and body image. Ahead of the show, the popular beauty blogger spoke to HELLO! Online about coping with mental illness, staying positive, and feeling star struck.
The talented 27-year-old, who first opened up about her own struggles with depression and self-loathing back in 2016, explained that she wanted to take part in the show to help remove the stigma associated with mental health, and at the same time reach out to others. She said: "I became an ambassador for the Mental Health Foundation later that year and I am really passionate about helping to remove the stigma associated with mental health issues and reaching out to as many people as possible so that people know that they have people out there who want to help, and who know how they feel because loneliness plays such a huge part in depression."
Roxie Nafous is set to appear on The Davina Hour in September
Roxie, who has also struggled with her body image, began controlling her food at the age of 14. "I became obsessed with what I ate and if I was skinny enough and this continued throughout my teen years. I think seeing all the beautiful women in magazines definitely made me think that if I wasn't a certain weight then I'm couldn't be attractive. I'm not naturally slender, I'm curvy and my legs aren't long! The inner critic said 'you're disgusting' when in reality I was just a normal, healthy weight," she said.
And although Roxie now still has times when she struggles, she also has days when she feels confident and happy: "I wish I could say that I don't care anymore but I do at times. Having said that, when I am healthy and I exercise regularly I do feel confident and happy in myself and that is a really amazing feeling."
Roxie believes that the impact of social media has a significant part to play in her own self-worth, and advises those having a bad day to take a break from it. "My advice would be, if your having a down day STAY OFF social media as it will just make you feel worse! But if you're feeling happy and confident then you'll look at things differently - instead of scrolling through and feeling less than, you'll instead feel inspired and motivated," she said.
The stunning beauty blogger opened up about her struggles with mental health
Appearing on the episode was "cathartic" for Roxie, who said that host Davina also made a big impression on her. "I have always loved Davina, so I was definitely star struck when I saw her," she said.
Roxie also praised Davina's own healthy lifestyle, adding: "I loved her passion for exercise and adopting a healthy lifestyle. I am a real believer that those things have a huge impact on our mental health and I think by her advocating and encouraging people to work out and to be fit and healthy, she also really helping people with their mental health."
The Davina Hour starts on Monday 4th of September at 9pm on W