Entertainment
Denise Welch wished plane would crash with her and son Matt Healy on board at height of depression
Denise Welch has opened up about her struggles with post-natal depression after the birth of her son, Matt Healy.
The Loose Women star, 62, has battled clinical depression since having her first child and revealed that at its worst, she wished a plane they were both on would crash to end her pain.
Speaking on the Zombiemum podcast, Denise recalled the time she got on a plane with Matthew to visit her then husband Tim Healy, who was working out there on a project, only for her depression to worsen as the trip began.
Denise explained: ‘The night before I went, this massive depression came on. I cannot tell you what it was like to go the airport and get on that plane with this depression.
‘When I was in the air – I told Matthew this years later when he was a grown up, I would never have put this on any child – I wished that the plane would go down.
‘In my mind, I wished that it would, because then I wouldn’t have made the decision.’
She added: ‘It was the point I wanted something out of my control and I thought, “Why doesn’t it just go down and then I will be out of this pain.” Now I can’t believe I had those thoughts.’
Matthew, who is in The 1975, spoke about Denise’s experience in the band’s song She Lays Down, which discusses her depression.
The lyrics include: ‘Well we got a plane, going to see my dad again/ She prayed that we fell from the sky/ Simply to immediate the pain.’
Denise also revealed that she has always been honest with her children about her depression, meaning they grew up with a lot of empathy for mental health issues after watching her go through it for 32 years.
Need support? Contact the Samaritans
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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