11 celebrity mums who’ve opened up about their postnatal depression

11 celebrity mums who’ve opened up about their postnatal depression

by Maria Martin |
Updated on

Postnatal depression – or PND – is thought to affect around one in 10 new mums. The symptoms can vary but there is treatment and support out there.

Natasha Hamilton, Katie Price and Elle Macpherson are among the famous parents who’ve spoken about their experience of the illness.

Gallery

11 celebrity mums who’ve opened up about their postnatal depression

Gwyneth Paltrow1 of 11

1) Gwyneth Paltrow

‘It [exercise] was part of healing my postnatal depression. I thought I really need to exercise… I needed to sweat… I was like, “I need to get this out of my body”.’

Luisa Zissman2 of 11

2) Luisa Zissman

‘I didn’t understand why I wasn’t like all the other mums, in love with my new baby. While everyone else was bonding with their child, I wanted to walk out the door and never come back. I felt so ashamed. I felt so bad that I didn’t want to wake up in the mornings. I wanted to roll over and die. It’s such a deep low.’

Alanis Morissette3 of 11

3) Alanis Morissette

‘It was a really intense time and if I could share anything with anyone going through it, it’d be to encourage them to seek help and reach out earlier than I did.’Source: ABC News

4) Natasha Hamilton4 of 11

4) Natasha Hamilton

‘I was so emotional and erratic, and I remember saying: 'Mum, I wish I was dead.’ I get quite emotional thinking back to that time. I remember I had that sick feeling in my stomach and my mum said: ‘Right, that’s not normal saying stuff like that,’ so she rushed me to the doctor. When they told me I had postnatal depression, it was the biggest relief to know I wasn’t going insane.’

Andrea McLean5 of 11

5) Andrea McLean

‘My doctor put me on medication and after about four weeks it was as if a switch had been flicked and I was coming back to myself. Of course, I couldn’t come off the medication straight away just because I was feeling better, I had to do it properly. But I realised I had kept quiet for far too long.’

Katie Price6 of 11

6) Katie Price

‘It was like an awful knot in my stomach and I felt overwhelmed and even that people wanted to take my baby away from me. I got help and managed to get through it. I don't feel ashamed about talking about it and neither should anyone else.'

Elle Macpherson7 of 11

7) Elle Macpherson

‘[On checking into an institute for her PND] I took the steps I needed to take in order to recover. The truth was, I just did what I needed to do and addressed a lot of issues that needed addressing.’

Stacey Solomon8 of 11

8) Stacey Solomon

‘I’d never even heard of postnatal depression. After being diagnosed by my GP, I was scared to talk to anyone or get any help. I want people to speak up about it and be honest about it but even I’m nervous.’

Jennifer Ellison9 of 11

9) Jennifer Ellison

‘If you only look at adverts on TV, we're programmed to think that this is the most special time in you life and you're going to have this instant bond and this instant connection. And for some mums it just doesn't happen, and then they feel that they're a failure.’

 Courtney Cox10 of 11

10) Courtney Cox

‘I went through a really hard time — not right after the baby, but when (Coco) turned 6 months. I couldn't sleep. My heart was racing. And I got really depressed. I went to the doctor and found out my hormones had been pummelled.’

Brooke Shields11 of 11

11) Brooke Shields

‘It has nothing to do with your love for [your children]. … It is something that is in your body, the loss of oestrogen, the amount of hormones. … Pay attention to the feelings that you're feeling and talk about it and ask your doctor. … Find out what medicine's available. You don't have to be miserable.’

Now read:

Mums reveal the moment they realised they had postnatal depression

How to tell the difference between the Baby Blues and Postnatal Depression

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