Loose Women star Frankie Bridge reveals health battle left her struggling mentally as she opens up in emotional post

FRANKIE Bridge has candidly admitted her recent health battle saw her mental strength “take a battering.”

The Loose Women panelist, 36, told how contracting a “horrendous bug” not only had an impact on her physical health, it set her back in her mind wellbeing too.

The Saturdays hitmaker has always spoken openly about her struggles, including depression, anxiety and asecret breakdown, and last year told how her depression had “crept” back in.

Now the mum of two has put her setback down to sickness.

Frankie posted a snapshot showing her donning grey joggers and a matching sweater, as she took a make-up free selfie with the help of a mirror.

She struck a serious expression despite flashing a peace sign on one hand and juggling her phone in the other.

She uploaded the snap to her Instagram Stories with a lengthy caption which read: “Day of what feels like 100 with this horrendous bug.

“I've been in bed all week. Mostly unable to look at anything just sleep.

“It's relentless. Just as I think I may be on the up it kicks back in with something new.

“My body hurts from being in bed for so many days. I've washed and put on clothes today, so that's a win!”

The Up! songstress then turned the focus to the impact on her mental health.

The star has has battled severe depression since childhood.

Frankie, now a mum of two, was previously admitted to hospital amid a tough part of her debilitating battle.

She had tried three different anti-depressants at that time, but none had proved effective.

She added in her upload: “Let me tell you. Me, myself and I in a room alone for that long is not good for my mental health.

“It has taken a real battering.

“I have questioned everything! Ha. Since Tuesday, I've changed careers. Moved countries. Deleted every app from my phone.

“Decided I've failed as a mother. A wife. A friend. You name it , I've thought about it.

“Why can't I just be sick like a normal person?! Ha.”

FRANKIE'S OPENNESS

During chart star Frankie's stint in the I'm A Celeb jungle in 2021,fans were left in tears at her confessions on her mind health.

After she told how she was hospitalised for a breakdown aged 21, her campmate Matty Lee asked what the turning point was in her recovery.

Frankie opened up on husband and former footballer Wayne Bridge and said: “Because I was with Wayne, I still remember being in the shower, and thinking, I love him, we’d spoken about marriage and kids and stuff, we had a beautiful home, I had a career I’d always wanted, but I just knew I was fundamentally unhappy.

“And that was when I realised that something just really wasn’t right. It was almost being happy made me realise I was unhappy, which is probably really hard for people to understand.”

Frankie then got emotional explaining how the thought of starting with a family with Wayne is what helped turn her around.

She added: “My main reason for wanting to get better was because I knew I wanted kids. I was like, I can’t be like this if I want to be a mum.

“I knew I needed to sort myself out. So that was my main reason for wanting to get better.”

She alsoaddressed her medicationin camp and told how she “would love not to” have depression and anxiety.

Since then, the popstar has opened up on aparticularly tough therapy session.