Entertainment
Montana Brown didn’t suffer from anxiety or depression before Love Island fame
Love Island star Montana Brown says she ‘didn’t deal with anxiety or depression’ until she was in the public eye and feels ‘everyone’ should be able to have access to therapy.
The 25-year-old was overwhelmed by the amount of attention she received after appearing on the dating show in 2017.
She dealt with a barrage of hurtful comments online from people making fun of her eyes to the point she was ‘fixated’ with thinking about having surgery.
‘I felt so judged,’ she explained, ‘I felt like, “Oh my god, I’m not going to be successful. It’s like people think that I’m ugly”. That’s what I genuinely thought, so it was really sad.’
The model spoke to Metro.co.uk about the ‘inner work’ she continues to do four years on to take care of her mental health.
She said: ‘I think a lot of people will suffer with mental health for all of their lives, and that’s away from being in the entertainment industry. There’s people that are like a postman or working in an office, and they will deal with mental health and obviously it can be hereditary as well. If it’s in the family then it’s common that your kids will have depression.’
‘Now I am genuinely happy when I wake up. For a lot of the time I was working, I’d say 90% of the time I was up and down in terms of work, and your mood can change.
‘But I’d say 99% of time I am very happy because I make sure I put boundaries in my life that make sure I protect my mental health.’
Asked if she has any personal concerns about hereditary mental health issues, Montana shared: ‘Before I went on Love Island, I didn’t deal with anxiety, I didn’t have any depression.
‘I know [islander] Liv Attwood talks quite openly about having ADHD, and she did suffer with anxiety beforehand. But I actually didn’t deal with any mental health problems beforehand. So I know that mine is very situational to the industry that I’m in. It’s not something in the family, as it were.’
She added that if she decides to have children she will be ‘way more equipped’ on how to understand any problems they may face as mental health is no longer ‘a taboo topic’.
‘Before it was very much like, “Oh you’re going to therapy? And people think, “Wow she must be a psychopath if she’s going to therapy”. Now, I personally think everybody should have therapy.
‘It’s as important if not more important than looking after your physical health. People are becoming more aware about it, kids are more aware about it and so people don’t feel so alone. And that is kind of half the battle.’
Metro.co.uk MHAW Takeover
This year, to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Metro.co.uk has invited eight well-known mental health advocates to take over our site.
With a brilliant team that includes Alex Beresford, Russell Kane, Frankie Bridge, Anton Ferdinand, Sam Thompson, Scarlett Moffatt, Katie Piper and Joe Tracini, each of our guest editors have worked closely with us to share their own stories, and also educate, support and engage with our readers.
If you need help or advice for any mental health matter, here are just some of the organisations that were vital in helping us put together our MHAW Takeover:
To contact any of the charities mentioned in the Metro.co.uk MHAW Takeover click here
