Denise Welch sobbed as she discussed her concerns about the influence her post-natal depression had on her son Matty Healy.
The Loose Women actress has spoken frankly about her sadness since the birth of her eldest son Matty, the frontman for The 1975 who is presently reported to be dating Taylor Swift.
Denise spoke on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday to explain her story in order to raise awareness. She highlighted how she never anticipated to be impacted after having a ‘beautiful pregnancy’ back in 1989.
However, a few days after giving birth, she experienced a panic attack and ‘within a day’ began to experience what she described as a “increasing sense of unreality.”
‘Within 24 hours of that my mum found me trying to climb out of a window in my flat,’ she said.
‘I had lost all sense of reality and I can honestly say it was the most terrifying thing.’
Denise recounted how Matty was affected by her depressive episodes as a youngster, saying he ‘didn’t know anything other than mom was unwell occasionally’.
However, as he grew older, they had more open discussions about her fight.
Denise began to cry when recalling things she would do while attempting to step out of the spirals after sharing an experience.
‘I still get emotional about it…I said to Matty when he was older, because I wouldn’t have traumatised him with this as a child, but I used to lie down on the floor and I’m not religious but I used to pray to something to help me love my child because it took away my ability to love,’ she shared.
The former Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, and Hollyoaks actress admitted to’spiralling into the drinking and drugs then happened’ shortly after, but revealed that she has now been sober for 11 years.
‘There are no excuses for things but there are often reasons,’ she added.
Denise claimed that the love and support of people around her kept her going during her battle with post-natal depression.
‘Had I not had my family, and I was then married to my kids dad who was great, I can honestly say I don’t know where I would be,’ she said.
She gave reassuring counsel, telling others that ‘things will get better’ after urging them to get treatment if they were experiencing similar sentiments.
Denise said in 2020 that she once hurled herself out of a moving automobile to “put an end to the pain.”
She had no idea what was wrong at first, and her sentiments were exacerbated when she was fired by her doctor at the time.
‘That’s what I was up against with quite a lot of people at the beginning,’ she said.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
