Hollyoaks star and former X Factor hopeful Rachel Adedeji has opened up about her experiences with her mental health following the birth of her daughter, Lillian.
Shortly after welcoming her first child, Rachel spoke frankly about "the baby blues", and has now said that she felt compelled to speak out.
In an honest new interview with Mio Skincare, Rachel revealed that she only realised her feelings were "normal" after reaching out and speaking to other mums in the same boat.
Recalling her experience with what she was originally told were "the baby blues", Rachel explained: "I remember not really having an answer for it and that was very frustrating for me.
"I almost wish I knew what I was upset about. I remember sitting back and saying to my husband, 'I have everything that I could possibly want here, I have you my loving husband... I have this perfect baby, my family are here', but all I wanted to do was go on a walk with the dog and cry."
The actress, who plays Lisa Loveday in Hollyoaks, went on to say that she initially didn't want "to talk to anyone" about her feelings.
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Opening up about the "overwhelming" experience of being a new mum, Rachel said: "I started reaching out to other mums and realised, 'Oh my god, this is okay, I'm allowed to feel like this!'
[Rachel as Lisa Loveday in Hollyoaks]
"I had to be open about it and I had a lot of mums reaching out to me saying, 'I'm so glad you've spoken about it'...
"[We need to be] a lot more open about these female normalities we all go through and it's okay to have these issues and discuss it," she added.
Hollyoaks airs weekdays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look screenings airing at 7pm on E4.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk).
Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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