Frankie Bridge shares heartbreaking mental health revelation 'I couldn't breathe'

Presenter has opened up about some experiences related to her . She's discussed the impact of anxiety and recalled her husband 's support during a "difficult time" with depression.

Frankie, 36, has candidly in the past. The panelist reflected on some of her experiences recently whilst speaking to , 33, for the latest episode of the star's So Wrong It's Right podcast, which was released yesterday.

At one point, Olivia asked her: "What was your first memory of realising that you had an issue with your mental health?" Frankie went on to discuss anxiety and recalled that she first realised she had a "proper issue" whilst in .

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She shared on the podcast: "I always had stomach aches. Can you remember Pepto Bismol, the medicine? The pink horrible stuff? That would be in my bag, every day, because I always had like a funny tummy, like nervous stomach. At bedtime I couldn't breathe properly and things like that.

"So I think like the anxiety was there, like I remember all of that, but I didn't know what it was. So I'd have like blood tests all the time and things like that and obviously nothing ever came back and back then I was just a 'worrier' - y'know, like it wasn't what it is now, do you know what I mean?"

Frankie told Olivia: "But I think for me, the first time I realised that it was like a proper issue was actually in The Saturdays. And I think for a while I'd been coming home from work, going straight to bed, like not wanting dinner. Just wanting to go to bed, cry, go to sleep. Bed was like a safe space."

The guest continued by telling the podcast host: "But I didn't realise that that was like not okay. I was just like 'that's what I do'. And it wasn't until we were on tour and we used to do meet and greets before the show and I remember gathering myself outside the door. And like taking a deep breath and thinking 'Right, be Frankie from The Saturdays'."

She added: "And then like I took a deep breath, and I walked into the room and that was the first time that I'd realised that I'd become like two versions of myself - this person that I thought everyone needed me to be and what the expectation was to like what I was actually feeling inside."

Olivia said that was "really sad" and suggested that people will be able to relate. Frankie later briefly discussed her experience with depression too, recalling a "really difficult time" early in her relationship with her now-husband Wayne, 44.

She said that Wayne was "really good" at the time providing support. She shared: "He's the person that got the GP round when like I couldn't ... I just like couldn't function any more. Got the GP round. He drove me to the hospital when I had to check in and he'd make sure he would come and see me and stuff. He really took the time to like understand it."

Later, whilst discussing the idea of partners providing support, Frankie suggested that it can be difficult to navigate such experiences as a couple. She said: "It's hard when you're in it to be able to ask for what you want. So [partners] are playing a guessing game. And we know men aren't good at guessing." She added: "I [also] think it's really hard for anyone to understand it if they've never experienced it."

If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk. If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch.

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