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Adele reveals secret battle with mental illness

The global superstar said: "My depression was so bad it frightened me"

Adele – a bubbly, friendly singer who has a laugh that could make anyone smile, she seems unstoppable.

But the artist has revealed she has been fighting a battle with mental illness since she was just ten-years-old and suffered from post-natal depression after the birth of her son.

In a recent interview, Adele opened up about her struggles after becoming a mother in 2012.

When asked if she was going to have another child, she told Vanity Fair: “I’m too scared. I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me… I didn’t talk to anyone about it. I was reluctant.

“My knowledge of postpartum – or post-natal, as we call it in England – is that you don’t want to be with your child; you’re worried you might hurt your child; you’re worried you weren’t doing a good job.

“But I was obsessed with my child. I felt very inadequate; I felt like I’d made the worst decision of my life… It can come in many different forms.”

The Hello star managed to get herself back on track without taking antidepressants.

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She continued: “Eventually I just said, I’m going to give myself an afternoon a week, just to do whatever the f*** I want without my baby.

“A friend of mine said, ‘Really? Don’t you feel bad?’ I said, “I do, but not as bad as I’d feel if I didn’t do it.”

Adele admitted she had her first experiences with depression when she was just 10, when her grandfather died.

She said: “I can slip in and out of it quite easily. It started when my granddad died, when I was about 10, and while I never had a suicidal thought, I have been in therapy, lots.”

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Adele’s confession comes as she reaches the end of her 10-month tour to mark her album 25.

She continued: “I’m enjoying touring, but at times I feel guilty because I’m doing this massive tour, and even though my son is with me all the time, on certain nights I can’t put him to bed.

“I never feel guilty when I’m not working.

“You’re constantly trying to make up for stuff when you’re a mum. I don’t mind, because of the love I feel for him.

“I don’t care if I don’t ever get to do anything for myself again.”

She added that she would still like to make records but doesn’t care if she ever hears an applause again.

No, don’t leave us Adele!


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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