Kate Lawler is in a “good place” again after being treated for anxiety.
Former Big Brother winner Kate Lawler
The former ‘Big Brother’ star battled post-natal depression after the birth of her daughter Noa in 2021 - whom she had with her husband Martin 'Boj' Bojtos - and she went on to be diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder last year - but she’s feeling well after help from her doctor.
Speaking on on the ‘In A Good Place’ podcast, Kate was asked if she’s “in a good place?” to which she replied: “Considering where I was this time two years ago, yes. Now was a few months old and I was deep in the depths of postnatal depression, thinking I’d never be happy again, despite the fact that I loved her deeply.
“Boj and I weren’t in a good place either, but everything’s turned around now.
“Last year I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder and went back on meds, which I’m not ashamed to say.”
Kate, 43, went on to explain she feels it’s important to be honest with fans about her mental health struggles.
She added: “When you’re in the public eye, it’s dangerous not to be honest with the people who follow you online.
“I’ve always been a very honest and open person; I’m an overshared. It’s like free therapy.”
However, Kate - who became the first female winner of 'Big Brother' back in 2002 - had some bad experiences with trolls and admits being branded a bad mum by a stranger almost put her off sharing her experiences on social media.
She went on to share: “I was getting a lot of criticism on posts from people who don’t know me who said I’m ungrateful and a terrible mother. almost stopped posting about my experiences because of it. One of my friends opened up about her challenges because I’d shared mine: I didn’t want it to feel like it was taboo.”
Last year, Kate shared a candid post on Instagram with pictures showing her with her daughter a year apart, revealing 12 months had made a huge difference to her life.
She explained: “Same day, same month, one year apart. The difference in both of us is remarkable. In the photo on the left, I was desperately trying to be happy and get on with my life as a new Mum but inside I was at my lowest point ever.
“I was going through post-natal depression, had recently been diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder and felt like I was failing on so many levels as Mum to Noa and partner to Boj.”
She went on to say a weekend away and decision to stop breastfeeding helped her make changes. She added: “It was during this weekend away (Boj surprised me with a weekend staycation at a lovely Airbnb in Henley-On-Thames with friends for my 41st birthday) that I decided to stop breastfeeding as it was becoming too stressful with Noa not wanting to feed from me and my milk supply dwindling.
“It was a decision I can now look back and say was the best thing for my mental health and for Noa, despite cutting so deep at the time because of how much I wanted it to work.
“Cut to a year later and she's the happiest, funniest, most precious little Tayto, coming up to 16 months and I'm in such a different headspace to back then.”
Tagged in Kate Lawler