It’s the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and we here at Mental Check In are ready! From May 18-24, we’re going to celebrate right along with the English, and readers the world over should join us.
To celebrate this exciting week, we’ve rounded up a list of six talented English celebrities who have opened up about their battles with mental illness one way or another, as reported by Glamour UK.
Anne Marie – Singer/songwriter
Age 29
“Anxiety almost blocked me from thinking normally and remembering things, because I was so anxious about everything,” she says. “I thought I was going to die, I thought my family were going to die and that was mixed with a lot of things like OCD, which added to the anxiety as well. I regularly found it hard to leave the house.”
Zayn Malik – Singer
Age 27
The former “One Direction” star opened up about stage fright. “I’ve been working over the last three months to overcome my extreme anxiety around major live solo performances. I don’t have it in me to feel secure in anything I do. I always strive towards something better,” he said, acknowledging why he’s cancelled shows in the past. “It’s why I sometimes come across the wrong way – a bit distant. I’m stressed out trying to control how I’m perceived.”
Will Young – Singer/songwriter, actor
Age 41
According to Glamour, Young was diagnosed in 2012 with mental illnesses including PTSD, depersonalization and derealization. He told The Times, ”My brain had shut down due to overwhelming levels of anxiety. I couldn’t even recognize my own face in a mirror. It was terrifying. It’s basically an extreme fight-or-flight response.”
Young said experiences with bullying and hiding his homosexuality contributed to his illnesses. ”All those things, added to the fact that I am an insecure creative performer, made me a therapist’s smorgasbord,” he said.
Adele – Singer/songwriter
Age 30
“I have anxiety attacks [and] constant panicking on stage. My heart feels like it’s going to explode because I never feel like I’m going to deliver, ever,” Adele said.
It’s hard to believe, right? How could Adele – one of the best vocalists of all time – ever think she couldn’t deliver? It goes to show just how much mental illness can detrimentally skew our perceptions of reality.
Cara Delevingne – Model, actress
Age 27
Delevinge once tweeted, “I suffer from depression and was a model during a particularly rough patch of self hatred. I am so lucky for the work I get to do but I used to work to try and escape and just ended up completely exhausting myself. I’m focusing on filming and trying to learn not to pick apart my every flaw. I am really good at that.”
Mel C – Singer/songwriter, actress
Age 46
Sporty Spice got real about how getting pregnant taught her a lot about her mental health. “When I was in the Spice Girls, the stress of suddenly being thrust into the limelight led me into an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise. I became obsessed about what I ate and I cut lots of food groups like carbs and protein out of my diet.”
Mel C continued, “I survived on fruit and vegetables and little else … from the moment I knew I was pregnant, I wanted to give Scarlet the nutrition she needed to grow fit, strong and healthy.”
These stars’ stories reflect the inner worlds of many of us. As Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK presses on, let’s spread more awareness everywhere by sharing stories and offering kindness, love and support.
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