Denise Welsh and her son, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, are very close, and the actress and presenter often references him on social media.
On Wednesday, she talked about her eldest child again, as she talked about her mental health struggles, as you can see in the video below…
The former Coronation Street star has become known for her candour about her health, particularly her mental health and the fact that she had experienced anxiety and depression after giving birth to Matty.
She recently shared a throwback photo from her pregnancy that showed her bump on full display as she smiled at the camera. The 63-year-old captioned the image: "This is 2 days before Matty was born, April 1989. Happy, excited, nervous. I had a brilliant pregnancy and wasn't even bothered when he was 9 days late!
© Facebook"Long labour but he was a healthy 8lbs and we were thrilled with our beautiful boy. I wasn't anxious. I loved the first few days even though he cried a lot.
© Instagram"A week later out of nowhere, during a walk with my mum, my life changed forever. After my first-ever panic attack a feeling of unreality came over me and within an hour I was in a thick, black, terrifying depression. I didn't eat for weeks. I was almost catatonic. My family took leave of work and stayed with me night and day.
© Getty"Post-natal depression robbed me of any joy for months," Denise confided. "I felt nothing. The GP was terrible and knew nothing. I tried for 20 yrs to get someone to listen to me that I felt my illness was hormonal. No one really helped me.
"Years of good days and bad days followed. Several 'nervous breakdowns' as we called them and every anti-depressant known to man, which undoubtedly did help for sure.
© S Meddle/ITV/Shutterstock"About 13 yrs ago a gynaecologist in London was recommended to me. Professor John Studd. He found me to be very severely deficient in oestrogen. My life changed that day. I still live with the 'unwelcome visitor' but he far less visible these days."
© Ken McKay/ITV/REX/ShutterstockThe star concluded: "We have HRT and it's our right to be given it. Reach out and shout from the rooftops if you have to. Accept any help offered. Don't suffer in silence. With the right help life with your baby will be wonderful."
© InstagramFans immediately rallied around the mum-of-two. "We all love you Denise," one wrote. "Heartbreaking what you went through," a second remarked.
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A third said: "Thank you for sharing and being so brutally honest about what you went through… your honesty helps so many."
© GettyLast September, Denise was delighted to share with her fans that she had gone three years without experiencing depression symptoms, as she posted an emotional message on Instagram.
© James Curley/REX/ShutterstockThe star posted an image which read: "Hold on to this hope: You can get better from depression," and captioned the emotional post: "Yesterday, Sept 19th marked 3 years to the day since I last suffered a depressive episode. It's the longest time without a 'breakdown' in 33yrs… "I post this for anyone currently in a depression that feels like it won't lift. It will. I promise."
If you're struggling with mental health, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. They're free, they're confidential, and they're always open.
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