Michelle Williams Of Destiny’s Child Opens Up About Her Struggle With Depression
Michelle Williams is opening up about her mental health journey in hope of helping others, ABC News is reporting. Williams performed with Beyonce and Kelly Rowland in their girl group Destiny’s Child for Beyonce’s Coachella concert in April. While the public loved Williams’ surprise appearance, they were unaware that Williams was actually suffering from a bout of depression that only worsened after the concert. The illness became so severe that she was eventually hospitalized. Williams recently shared her experience with suffering from a mental health issue in the public eye during an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America on Friday, November 2.
“I was like, ‘Just fight it, you’ve been here before,'” she said.
“I’m identifying it…I just didn’t do enough…so for months, I was slipping and slipping and slipping [and] before you knew it I was at the bottom of the pit looking up like, ‘Am I really here again?’ And I suffered by myself. I didn’t want to tell anybody.”
Williams’ fiancee, Chad Johnson, was supportive through thick and thin. The couple has a reality show, Chad Loves Michelle, premiering on Saturday, November 3 on OWN. Williams recalled asking Johnson if he wanted out of the relationship. Johnson refused.
“He showed me sickness and in health already before marriage,” she gushed.
One of the hardest moments for Williams was when news of her receiving treatment for her depression leaked. She explained that she didn’t initially plan to talk about her illness publicly, but when the information was shared with the world without her consent, she decided to come forward and open up about her story. Psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz told Good Morning America in June that celebrities being forthcoming to fans about their mental health can be beneficial to people who struggle with the same issues.
“When celebrities step forward and talk about their own struggle, even in the face of having great success and being financially well-off, it goes a long way to encouraging others to stop thinking about mental health issues about being a shameful issue,” she said.
Still, Williams worried over people knowing about her health status and admitted to leaving the hospital early in fear that someone would learn of her whereabouts. She even kept her curtains closed, which blocked out the sunshine that could’ve helped her recover, she explained. While Williams definitely suffered an invasion of privacy with the news of her treatment being discussed without her permission, people were very supportive of her plight. Even Beyonce’s mom, Tina Knowles, gave a shout-out to Williams on social media and told the singer she was proud of her.
“I’m just thankful to be here to tell this story,” Williams said.
