Health: CELEBRITY SICK NOTE DEPRESSION MEL C

Lynne Michelle, Caroline Blight

Mel C, aka Sporty Spice, admitted to suffering from depression in 2000. Mel, 28, says the illness was exacerbated by an eating disorder which affected her self-esteem and landed her in a cycle of starving and binge eating. She says: 'I have been depressed and I want to stand up and say, "I was suffering from depression but it's all right to be depressed". I try to be as open as I can, because I understand I am in a special position.' Like many people in the UK diagnosed with depression, Mel C turned to the prescription anti-depressant Prozac to get her out of the doldrums. She now says: 'It's a horrible illness. I had no self-confidence, I couldn't get out of bed. I didn't want to carry on like that.' She says eating regular healthy meals and re-establishing a proper weight also made her feel 'alive and free' again.

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