Entertainment
Frankie Bridge was ‘convinced she had killed her child’ after mental health spiralled
Frankie Bridge found her anxiety worsened when she was a new mum (Picture: ITV)
Frankie Bridge has revealed her mental health battle had her convinced she had ‘killed her child’ after she gave him a vaccine too early.
The former The Saturdays star, 32, found her anxiety spiralled after becoming a mother for the first time to son Parker, who is now seven.
She revealed in her new book Grow: Motherhood, Mental Health & Me via The Mirror, that se was convinced that she had harmed her child by giving him the chickenpox vaccination as a baby and later being told she should have waited until he wad one year old.
Frankie explained: ‘The guilt and fear I had felt throughout the day spiralled. And it resulted in a complete meltdown.
‘My paranoia kicked into overdrive too and I became convinced I had killed my child, before he’d even really got the chance to live.’
Thankfully, it was later explained to her that giving Parker the vaccine early just meant it would be ineffective rather than harmful to his health.
Frankie has two sons with husband Wayne Bridge (Picture: Instagram/ frankiebridge)
She added: ‘This type of crisis moment is something I had dealt with throughout my life, but I had never been responsible for someone else, and this compounded my paranoia and exacerbated my fears.’
Frankie also admitted she felt ‘shame’ while pregnant after believing she did not fit the ‘ideal’ of what a pregnant woman should look like.
She explained; ‘I was so ashamed and if I’m honest, shocked that I wasn’t a gorgeous, glowing, neat and tidy pregnant woman.
‘My bum was bigger than my bump most of the time.’
More: Mental health
Frankie has two children, Parker and six-year-old Carter, with footballer husband Wayne Bridge, who she has been married to since 2014.
The singer has always spoken openly about her mental health in the hopes of encouraging others to seek help when they need it, too.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Frankie Bridge says motherhood ‘incorrectly sold to us as perfect’: ‘I want to drop the shame’
