Siannise Fudge has opened up about her struggles with depression and anxiety in a candid post.
The 27-year-old, who shot to fame on the winter edition of Love Island in 2020, revealed she lost two stone in weight as a result of her mental health battle.
Alongside a photo of herself last year next to one of her today, Siannise wrote on Instagram: “To my amazing family. I have been waiting for the right time to speak about something that I had been living with and couldn’t find the courage to share it, but thankfully now I feel ready.”
She continued: “I feel I have a responsibility to share this because somehow it might help one of you and that’s all I want from this. To give anyone suffering the belief that you can overcome your obstacles in life.”
“This time last year I was suffering with anxiety & depression behind closed doors. This resulted in me having insomnia, extreme mood swings & losing two stone in weight.”
“I was insecure, lost all my confidence & I lacked love within myself. I couldn’t bare to look at myself in the mirror because I didn’t recognise myself both physically & mentally. I completely lost myself and I wasn’t sure who I was as a person anymore.”
“It affected my everyday life, my work & my relationships with friends and family. I felt like I wasn’t in control of my body, I lost interest in things I loved the most and I found it impossible to socialise.”
Siannise opened up about some of the cruel comments she would read about herself online during this difficult period in her life.
She recalled: “I would receive messages on social media saying I’m too skinny, I need to eat some burgers and I’ve had to unfollow you because looking at you makes me uncomfortable which was extremely triggering for me.”
“I went to hospital twice for checks, and for someone who is terrified of needles I begged them to take my blood and help me. When the doctors came back with my results, they assured me they were all clear and there was nothing physically wrong with me and they told me I was suffering from severe anxiety.”
“I was lost, depressed and unhealthy, but somehow I developed the strength to work on myself. I turned every negative comment into fuel and motivation to get better and today I stand here, healed with a healthy mind & a happy heart.”
Siannise concluded the post by writing: “I feel beautiful, confident & I love my body now more than ever. I never understood mental health until I experienced it myself and how important it is.”
“I urge everybody to be kind because you never know what someone is going through, everyone has a story. Every cloud has a silver lining, I am living proof of this 🤍”
Irish Love Island star Maura Higgins commented on the post: “Proud of you❤️ and my god you are GLOWING 🔥”
Molly-Mae Hague added: “You should be so proud of yourself beautiful 🤍”
