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Denise Welch has broken down in tears when speaking about her fears over the impact her post-natal depression had on her son Matty Healy.
The Loose Women star has spoken openly about her battle with depression after having her eldest son Matty, the frontman for The 1975, who is currently rumoured to be dating Taylor Swift.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday to discuss her experience to continue to raise awareness, Denise shared how she never expected she could be impacted after having a ‘wonderful pregnancy’ back in 1989.
However, a few days after giving birth she had a panic attack and ‘within a day’ started to have what she labelled ‘an increasing feeling 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 Welch has spoken about her battle with post-natal depression on Good Morning Britain (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Explaining how Matty was impacted by her episodes of depression when he was a child, Denise explained how he ‘didn’t know anything other than mum was poorly sometimes’.
However, when he was older they had more open conversation about her battle.
Sharing an anecdote, Denise then started to tear up while recalling things she would do when trying to step out of the spirals.
‘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.
Denise struggled after giving birth to son Matty back in 1989 (Picture: North News & Pictures Ltd)
The former Coronation Street, Waterloo Road and Hollyoaks actress said soon after her ‘spiralling into the drinking and drugs then happened’, but shared that she had now been sober for 11 years.
‘There are no excuses for things but there are often reasons,’ she added.
Reflecting on her experience with post-natal depression, Denise said it was the love and support of those around her that kept her going.
‘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.
Matty is now the front man of band The 1975 (Picture: by Matthew Baker/Getty Images)
Urging other people to seek help if going through similar feelings, she offered a comforting piece of advice, sharing that ‘it will get better’.
Back in 2020 Denise shared how she once threw herself out of a moving car to ‘make the pain stop’.
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Initially having no idea what was wrong, her feelings were made worse when she was dismissed from 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.
To chat about mental health in an open, non-judgmental space, join our Mentally Yours Facebook group.
Follow us on Twitter at @MentallyYrs.
MORE : Denise Welch surprises Loose Women co-stars as she celebrates huge sobriety milestone
‘It was the most terrifying thing.’
