Carolie Flack has opened up about her own mental health struggles in an Instagram post to her followers.
The Love Island presenter said “being a burden” was her “biggest fear” as she told her 2.3 million followers that she had recently been experiencing “anxiety and (the) pressure of life”.
The 39-year-old said in the post that she had meant to write something on World Mental Health Day on October 10 but that she had been “knee deep in work”.
She said: “I wanted to write something about mental health day last week but I was knee deep in work. And some days it’s hard to write your feelings of your not in the right place.
“The last few weeks I’ve been in a really weird place … I find it hard to talk about it … I guess it’s anxiety and pressure of life … and when I actually reached out to someone they said I was draining.
“I feel like this is why some people keep their emotions to themselves. I certainly hate talking about my feelings. And being a burden is my biggest fear…
“I’m lucky to be able to pick myself up when things feel shit.
“But what happens if someone can’t. Be nice to people. You never know what’s going on. Ever.”
Caroline has previously urged her fans to be more vocal about their mental health struggles.
She also recently revealed that she has regular hypnotherapy sessions to deal with her anxiety, which worsens when she has too much free time.
Last year, she detailed her experiences with depression, which she says started after her ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ victory in 2014 and lasted a year.
The presenter described her year-long struggle with her mental health, revealing that things came to a head during her difficult stint hosting The X Factor, alongside co-presenter Olly Murs.
She told The Sun: “It all started the day after I won Strictly. I woke up and felt like somebody had covered my body in cling-film.
“I couldn’t get up and just couldn’t pick myself up at all that next year. I felt ridiculous, being so sad when I’d just won the biggest show on telly and had such an amazing job.”
She continued: “People see the celebrity lifestyle and assume everything is perfect, but we’re just like everyone else. Everyone is battling something emotional behind closed doors — that’s life. Fame doesn’t make you happy.”
Shortly after this, Caroline said she was prescribed anti-depressants, but came off them after six months as she didn’t like the effect they were having, going to a “juice retreat in the Mediterranean” to help herself come off the pills.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.
