Many of us have experienced depression or anxiety to varying degrees at some point in our lives, and celebrities aren’t immune from their own mental health struggles.
WATCH Osher Gunsberg reveals how he treated his obsessive compulsive disorder
From actresses and Olympians to reality television stars and models, these Aussie celebs have spoken candidly about their mental health struggles, and have helped everyday Australians through the process of opening up.
Ian Thorpe
Ian Thorpe is one of Australia’s most celebrated Olympians – having won five gold medals at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games, but outside of the pool the swimming great was facing a private mental health battle.
The 38-year-old has previously revealed he drank too much alcohol and experienced suicidal thoughts after retiring in 2006 at the age of 24.
“I am someone who has struggled with mental health issues since I was a teen,” he wrote in a blog post for Huffington Post Australia in 2016.
“From the outside, many would not see my pain nor be able to relate to the sometimes-daily struggle I was facing.
“This is part of the deception of depression and also mental illness: what may appear at face value is a stark difference from the agony that lies within.”
The sporting legend said that despite struggling with depression, he decided not to let it define him.
“Although it may have taken me a while to get to this point and realisation in my life, I assure you it’s worth it,” he said.
“I realise the wonder of the world and I approach each day with an enthusiasm that I haven’t felt for what seems like an eternity.”
Osher Gunsberg
Osher has shared his mental health struggles publicly across various mediums, writing blogs and regularly speaking on podcasts about his experiences.
He suffered an episode of psychosis while living in California in 2014, having stopped taking his medication for depression and anxiety, which eventually led him to return to medication and seek help for his various conditions.
The Bachelor host has also been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“I would have a compulsion to very viscerally fantasise about the end of the world, climate change catastrophes that had been predicted,” he explained while appearing on ABC’s You Can’t Ask That.
“If I turned the air conditioner on, it meant that climate change would destroy the world and it was like every three to five seconds. It got to the point where after a few hours of that you’re like ‘This can’t stop, and I can’t stop it’,” he told viewers.
After his appearance on the show, Osher took to Instagram to speak some more about the disorder.
“I’m a lot better now thanks to some great meds and some greater doctors who guided me through exposure therapy – but it’s something that my brain just does,” he wrote to fans.
Sam Frost
First landing on our screens on The Bachelor in 2014, Sam Frost cemented her place in the Australian TV scene by going on The Bachelorette and eventually joining the cast of Home and Away as Jasmine Delaney. However, her meteoric rise to TV fame has been met with a level of anxiety.
“It is always up and down [mental headspace]; I think a lot of people who struggle with their mental health, depression or anxiety will understand you have your good days and bad days,” she told TV Week in 2021.
Sam’s struggles have led her to become a passionate advocate for mental health, even founding Believe by Sam Frost, a mental health resource providing genuine support for young girls.
As for handling her mental health, the actress has learned strategies to help her cope.
“The first thing I will do is book an appointment with my psychologist. I think that it is really important to try and leave the house and either go for a walk, switch your phone off, make a cup of tea, do the things that you really like and is good for your soul,” she explained to TV Week.
“For me, it is walking my dog, I love reading books, so I will read,” she shared.
Abbie Chatfield
The Bachelor season seven runner-up Abbie Chatfield has been very candid about the effect trolling had on her mental health.
People who disliked her characterisation on the show went as far as to send her death threats, leave comments about her body, and question her reasoning behind joining the show.
“It’s really hard when that gets into your psyche and you truly believe that after a while,” she said on Celebrity Kind.
Abbie also told Mamamia: “Honestly, it got to the point the weekend before the finale aired where I didn’t leave the bed. I was having suicidal thoughts, that was the level I was at.”
The now-influencer is very candid on Instagram about her experience with a psychologist, and how it has helped her since the show ended. She also discusses her anxiety often on her podcast, It’s A Lot.
Jessica Marais
The Packed to the Rafters star has been open and honest about being diagnosed with bipolar.
But Jessica said she isn’t defined by her mental health struggles, and encouraged others battling with inner demons not to give up.
“Your struggles are what makes you stronger and you shouldn’t be defined by them,” Jessica told Confidential on Nova radio show.
“I have a personal way of coping with struggles, the same way that anybody else does, and I don’t think that anyone should be defined by that.
“Also, there are periods of your life that you can go through something and you can move past them.”
The 36-year-old Love Child actress didn’t attend the 2018 TV WEEK Logie Awards to take care of her mental health.
Her management later revealed that she made the brave decision to “step away from acting for the remainder of 2018 to focus on her health and spend time with her family.”
Jessica said opening up to her loved ones has helped her get through tough times.
“I never as a public figure think that I can instruct people on how to deal with issues like that. But what I will say is that I’ve learnt to be more open with the people close to me when I’ve had struggles of my own,” she said.
Jesinta Franklin
Model and mum-of-two Jesinta Franklin has been open about her struggles with anxiety, even sharing her support for her AFL player husband, Buddy Franklin, while he was facing similar issues.
Although she resides in the public eye mostly as an influencer these days, Jesinta’s issues began around the time she was crowned Miss Universe Australia.
“I first experienced anxiety when I won Miss Universe Australia [in 2010] and it was just so overwhelming,” she told Marie Claire.
“There were days where it was really hard for me to even go outside because I felt like everyone was looking at me.
“A few years ago, I was lying in bed and I felt like I couldn’t breathe and that my chest was caving in. I went to the doctors because I thought I had a heart problem and it was actually anxiety. My anxiety is a physical thing: my heart rate goes through the roof and my hands get clammy.”
Jesinta has publicly said that she speaks to a psychologist regularly, and also has other strategies like taking a bath, listening to nice music, lighting candles and taking moments for herself.
Jake Edwards
With a successful AFL career behind him, Jake Edwards has been a vocal advocate for mental health, especially after his run on Married at First Sight.
He began to experience issues with his mental health early into his sporting career, where he closed himself off and spent time crying in isolation from those he loved. He also reported experiencing suicidal ideation.
Educating himself around mental health lead him into developing Outside the Locker Room, a program that helps sporting clubs understand and care for the mental health of their employees and players.
Despite his amazing work in this field, Jake is still plagued by mental health issues, recently taking time off social media to spend time at a retreat of sorts, where he worked on his anxiety issues. He cited being in nature as a very helpful aspect of his healing.
Tracey Jewel
The Married At First Sight season five star has never shied away from sharing how her time on the controversial dating show was detrimental for her mental health.
“I went into a head spin. I just didn’t see a way out of the current situation,” she previously told New Idea.
“I’m not someone who has a history of depression, but I started getting help in April because the psychologist said I might have post-traumatic stress disorder because of everything I’d been through.”
The mother-of-two said she became “very emotionally withdrawn” due to stress from online trolls after appearing on the show.
Tracey bravely admitted she “went into a head spin and overdosed” after abruptly getting dumped during a holiday in Europe with then-boyfriend Patrick Kedemos in 2018.
Then in 2019, Tracey quit her wellness studio 360 Hit only a few days after its launch due to suicidal thoughts.
“No one will hire me, due to all this ongoing negative attention [from MAFS]. My name and reputation is ruined,” she told Daily Mail Australia at the time.
“These people have ruined my life. I am suicidal most days.”
Tayla Damir
The Love Island Australia season one winner has long been vocal about her struggles with anxiety, and even created her own company selling affirmation cards to help others who might be doing it tough mentally.
The 24-year-old first noticed she was feeling overwhelmingly anxious during her high school years.
“I think, at the time, I was like ‘What’s wrong with me? Why am I so anxious all the time?'” she told Nine Honey in 2019.
“Since my diagnosis, I obviously have come to terms with different things that help and I can identify different things that trigger it,” she said.
“So exercising and spending time with people that love me, like family and friends, really helps me. Making time for myself and doing the things that I love — which could really just be going to the beach or going for a walk and getting fresh air — also helps.”
Tayla, who is engaged to AFL star Nathan Broad, recently shared with her 530,000 Instagram followers that wedding planning has exacerbated her anxiety.
“This time last week I was in a really dark place. I suffer from extreme anxiety so the thought of trying to plan a wedding, letting people down with their wants and expectations, picking a venue, pleasing everyone, pleasing myself whilst not knowing what I want and trying to budget became so overwhelming,” she wrote last month.
“At the time my anxiety made me feel so weak… This post is to share the dark side of anxiety and how it can slowly fill someone’s mind up with poisoned thoughts.”
0If you or someone you know needs help you can call Lifeline on 131 114 orBeyondblue 1300 224 636.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
