Frankie Bridge reveals feeling ‘guilty’ about depression while part of The Saturdays
'I felt so guilty that I still didn’t feel happy in a situation where I knew I should be'
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Frankie Bridge has opened up about experiencing depression while part of the band The Saturdays, revealing that she felt "guilty" about not feeling happy while succeeding in her career.
In the seven years that Bridge spent as one of five members of the pop group, the band had 13 UK Top 10 singles and spent 129 weeks in the Official Charts Top 40.
While Bridge may have seemed on top of the world as a result of her musical prowess, under the surface the singer was secretly struggling with mental health issues.
In 2011, Bridge took time off from her work commitments with the band due to illness. It was later revealed that she'd been hospitalised due to depression.
The other members of the band were supportive of her during that time, as she explained to Lorraine Kelly.
“They were really understanding, especially when I was in hospital," Bridge said on ITV's Lorraine on 7 February.
"They had to carry on without me. It’s hard when one of you is missing from a group."
Bridge said she had been reluctant to disclose her struggles with depression, as she'd felt ashamed for not feeling happier while achieving success with The Saturdays.
“I think that’s what made it worse, is I felt so guilty that I still didn’t feel happy in a situation where I knew I should be," the singer said.
"And I think that’s what kind of turned the whole thing on its head, because I was like, ‘Something’s not right here. I need to do something about it’."
Once Bridge was hospitalised and learnt more about the mental health condition, she was able to better understand it and discuss it openly with her loved ones.
"I didn’t feel like it was a lie anymore. I was just myself," she said.
In Bridge's opinion, encouraging people to have open conversations about mental health is essential.
“That’s why talking is just so important. And it can be the hardest thing to do," she told Kelly.
"But I’ve not met one person who’s said, ‘That hasn’t helped me’, or, ‘That’s made things worse’. But it’s just taking that first step.”
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