Chrissy Teigen has spoken for the first time about her battle with postnatal depression following the birth of her daughter Luna in April 2016. The 31-year-old - who is married to American musician John Legend - opened up about her condition in a bid to help other mothers who are suffering to build up the courage to seek help. Writing in a new essay for Glamour, the model explained how she found herself struggling to do things, such as being unable to eat for days or leave the comfort of her couch. "What basically everyone around me - but me - knew up until December was this: I have postpartum depression," she wrote.
STORY: Chrissy Teigen on being a new mum
The mother-of-one revealed that she has since been taking antidepressants, and plans to see a therapist on a regular basis. Recalling the moment she found out about her symptoms, she confessed: "John sat next to me. I looked at my doctor, and my eyes welled up because I was so tired of being in pain. Of sleeping on the couch. Of waking up throughout the night. Of throwing up. Of taking things out on the wrong people. Of not enjoying life. "
Hoping to inspire others to seek help, Chrissy admitted that she's starting to feel like her old self again since she shared the news of her postpartum depression - also known as postnatal depression - with family and friends. "The mental pain of knowing I let so many people down at once was worse than the physical pain," she noted. "To have people that you respect, who are the best in the business, witness you at your worst is tough."
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Chrissy and John - who married in Lake Como, Italy in 2013 - became first-time parents last year. In a recent interview in Mr Porter's The Journal, John discussed their difficulties to conceive for several years before turning to IVF. "We figured eventually we'd have to go into the doctor and see why it wasn't happening naturally," he said. "You know, sometimes it's just harder for some people than for others. We're just happy that we were able to do it with our doctor. He's [doctor] never really told us that there was something specific that he could identify was the reason why it just didn't work out naturally. We did what we had to do."
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are parents to baby Luna
WATCH: Baby Luna stars in John Legend's adorable new music video
Meanwhile, the Lip Sync Battle host has previously opened up about becoming a mother, telling Entertainment Tonight: "It's been really exciting and fun, and every day is so different, and seeing all her little changes is so cute. Her eyes have uncrossed a little bit, and, like, now, rather than looking right through you, she looks at you, which is really nice. But it's the little smiles that get you. There is no feeling like that first little smile, your first Mother's Day, which was so beautiful and sweet to me. The entire day my eyes were on the verge of tears because I was so happy."