Celebrity Big Brother star Jamie O’Hara has opened up about his secret depression battle after losing his mum at 17 years old.
The former footballer admitted being on “anti depressants for nine months” and has “struggled with depression for a number of years”.
Speaking to his 59.5K Twitter followers the star quickly received support from his fans.
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In a lengthy post the reality star opened up about his mental health struggles.
He said: “I really struggled with depression for a number of years. I lost my mum at 17 and I never really dealt with the death until years later.
“It affected every part of my life. I would drink too much and I never interacted with anyone.”
He went on to explain: “I felt like I could never speak to anyone as I was scared of the reply: how can you be depressed, you’re a footballer living in a mansion?
“I sat down with a psychologist every week and spoke about all my fears and worries and what I want for my future, my answer kept leaning towards making my three boys proud.”
He ended the note saying: “I want people who are suffering to hopefully see this and feel OK to speak out and not suffer in silence.”
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The 30-year-old’s fans rushed to offer support for the star and praise him for being so honest.
One wrote: “Well done mot easy to put this stuff out there! Xx.” [SIC]
“Massive respect @Mrjamieohara1 for putting this up lots of people suffering in silence xx,” another said.
A third tweeted: “Yes Jamie, well done mate. It’s people like you talking out that will help end the stigma. #COYS.”
Meanwhile it’s been reported that Jamie would love to take part in ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
According to reports Jamie “wants to be first in line” for the show, which is set to return next year.
A source told The Sun’s Bizarre column: “Jamie never expected to do Big Brother and surprised himself by how much he enjoyed it.
“He has heard about the revival of Dancing on Ice and wants to be the first in line for the production.
“Jamie is nimble on his feet and thinks he could make a good go of it.”