Jess Wright makes devastating confession about postnatal depression struggle
Jessica Wright has shared her experience with postnatal depression following the birth of son Presley in May 2022 in a bid to reduce the stigma around maternal mental health
Jess Wright has opened up about suffering from 'debilitating' post-natal depression following the birth of her son three years ago. The TOWIE star said she wanted to challenge the taboo of maternal mental health in a new film for BBC Morning Live, which she said was 'extremely triggering' to make.
In May 2022, Jess welcomed her son Presley with William Lee-Kemp, and began to develop depression in a way she had 'never' experienced before. In the film, set to air today, she said: 'It was debilitating, I couldn't enjoy anything with my new son and I wanted the world to stop so I could get off.'
One in five women develop a mental illness during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Jess said that the topic was 'extremely close' to her heart, adding: 'When @bbcmorninglive and I discussed exploring maternal mental health, as hard as I knew it was going to be, it was never a question in my head, the answer was always going to be yes.'
In the film, the 39-year-old says: "Since my mid-20s I've lived with depression and anxiety. I take medication which generally keeps it under control. However, a few days after I had my son Presley I developed depression in a way I'd never experienced before.'
Jess explained that she was not given clear advice about her medication during her pregnancy, saying: 'It was quite a grey area when I was pregnant, about the medication that I'm on, whether I should come off it when I'm pregnant.' She adds: "Having a baby is wonderful but also tough for many people. But knowing where to turn for support has helped me feel better prepared if I decide to have another child."
Less than two years after Presley's birth, Jess and William went through a difficult period after learning that their son had a rare heart condition which would require him to undergo open heart surgery. In an interview with OK! Jess said: 'The world just stopped moving for me.'
Receiving the news that Presley had a Bicuspid Aortic Valve, a congenital heart disease, was 'tough'. Jess said: 'Just before his second birthday, we took him for a routine appointment about what we thought was a chest infection and the doctors said they had found a heart murmur. They said it was likely to be nothing to worry about, and common in a lot of children, but to get it checked anyway.'
A month later, their fears were confirmed when the doctor revealed that Presley had a problem with his heart. 'We just sat there and you could see from the doctor's face that he was about to tell us something really big and life-changing,' she said.
'I just dreaded what was going to come out of his mouth, and then, lo and behold, the words 'open heart surgery' came out. It was extremely tough and something that we're still taking our time to get over and used to - I'm not sure we ever will. I just remember sitting in between my mum and my husband and thinking, 'I'm going to fall on the floor'. I couldn't even kind of hold myself up.'
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