Fearne Cotton felt drained

8 February 2017

Fearne Cotton "felt so drained" when she battled with depression.

Fearne Cotton

The 35-year-old television and radio presenter admits she felt "anti-social, cut-off and alienated" but was "relieved" when she was prescribed anti-depressants.

She said: "I had a real lack of energy. I felt so drained and my lust for everything that I love wasn't there any more. I'm very optimistic by nature, I wake up in the morning and I'm very excited about my day, I'm so pumped and enthusiastic about the smaller things in life and that was dead.

"Everything was a drag and felt heavy. I felt anti-social, cut-off, alienated and they were massive warning signs. Everyone has that lightbulb moment that they need to do something differently, but for me it was feeling stuck ...

"It was definitely a relief when the doctor identified what was happening to me. It took it away from being my fault. I was prescribed anti-depressants. I decided it would get my head above the clouds for a moment. I'd never taken them before so it felt like it be worth a go."

However, the blonde beauty - who has Rex, three, and Honey, 16 months, with her husband Jesse Wood - thinks her Radio 1 show, which she quit in 2015, helped to keep things "normal" for her.

She added: "It was a tough time. But it was probably quite helpful, getting out the house, communicating with people, even if it is on a surface level and I think that slowly does help you. My job became a hindrance and a help.

"It was very draining, but at the same time it was possibly helping me in the right direction. Having one thing that feels quite normal, when everything else is chaotic, is quite healthy."

And Fearne says she found it difficult to "let go" and admit to herself that she isn't perfect.

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Letting go of 'perfect' was important. I was trying to do so many things and putting so much pressure on myself - and why?

"Perfect doesn't exist. I cut back a lot on work, and focused a lot more on family. My priorities now are work and family, so going out and socialising are non-existent."