Frankie Bridge has opened up about a breakdown she had that left her in a psychiatric hospital.
The former The Saturdays singer has spoken about her battle with depression in her new book Open: Why Asking For Help Can Save Your Life.
In candid extracts shared with Daily Mail, the mum-of-two, who is married to husband Wayne Bridge, details how she hit rock bottom back in 2011 and ended up having to be admitted to the Nightingale Hospital in London.
'For as long as I can remember I had suffered from anxiety, nervousness, the big black cloud, stress, low moods, sadness,’ she wrote.
'I lived with it in silence and tried to conquer it alone,’ she continued. ‘In my late teens and early 20s I'd had medical help of various kinds (in the six months before I was hospitalised, I'd seen two therapists and tried three different anti-depressants — Prozac, venlafaxine and sertraline — but nothing had worked for long).'
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Frankie went on to explain that by 2011 it had gotten so bad that she would have to 'keeping up a smile with the band but coming home every night and sobbing myself to sleep'.
The singer revealed that around the band filmed their video for their song My Heart Takes Over she had ‘hit rock bottom.
‘My list of symptoms made sober reading,’ she continued. 'I had uncontrollable panic attacks and paralysing negative thoughts about anything and everything.
‘I had trouble sleeping, lacked energy and had lost my appetite and my libido.
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'I couldn't do anything without help and was unable to function in everyday life. Fundamentally, I couldn't see the point of living any more.'
The star went on to reveal that she was taken to hospital by her now-husband footballer Wayne Bridge, who she described as a ‘constant’ source of support.
'He was my constant, the person who knew me inside out and had seen me at my worst and most vulnerable. He made me feel safe and loved. I couldn't have done it with anyone else'.
The mum-of-two revealed that speaking up is what helped her get better, saying, 'No matter how low I feel, I know I won't ever be as low as I was when I went into hospital because I managed to speak out and ask for help.'
