Are you hiding depression behind your celebrity persona?

Are you hiding depression behind your celebrity persona?

Let’s get one thing straight: just because the world sees you smiling, performing, and smashing it on socials doesn’t mean you’re okay. Fame has a nasty way of convincing people that you're living the dream. Meanwhile, inside, you may feel like you're barely coping some days. I see this all the time. Celebrities who look like they have it all - money, followers, awards - but underneath? They’re flat. Numb. Exhausted. And more often than not, depressed. Yes, depressed. Let’s call it what it is. And let’s talk about it properly.

What depression often looks like in the spotlight

It’s not always crying in your dressing room or not being able to get out of bed - though that happens too. For people in the public eye, depression often hides behind a photo call, a busy schedule, and a ‘living my best life’ caption. Here are some of the real signs I help my clients notice:

• You feel nothing. Even when something great happens - you’re just... blank.

• You’re drained all the time. Not tired - drained. Like your soul’s knackered.

• You stop enjoying the stuff you used to love like performing, creating, even going out or relaxing with friends and family.

• You snap easily or feel constantly on edge – the type of nervous energy that has you tapping your feet or chewing gum just to distract yourself.

• You can’t sleep properly - or you sleep or laze in bed way too much.

• You start using work, booze, sex, drugs or shopping to distract yourself and to give you a quick dopamine hit.

• You feel both alone and lonely, even in a room full of people.

• You fake it constantly - on set, on socials, with friends, with yourself.

Sound familiar? If so, let’s stop pretending it’s just burnout or a bad week. These are all signs that you need to get help, before depression starts eating away at your mental health.

Why depression can hit celebs hard

Here’s the truth no one tells you when you “make it”. Fame messes with your mental health. Hard. You’re under constant scrutiny. You’re expected to be “on” 24/7.

You can’t have a bad day or performance without it being a headline or receiving social critique. And somewhere along the way, you start losing sight of who you are underneath the brand, the persona, the photoshoots.

You might feel like you’ve got no right to complain. That people have it way worse. But mental health doesn’t care about your follower count. Depression is an equal opportunity b*stard.

Questions I ask My clients when they’re not sure if it’s depression

Here’s what I often ask the people who sit opposite me with no cameras, no PR, just honesty:

• Do you feel excited about anything anymore?

• Are you doing this because you love it, or because you don’t know how to stop?

• Are you genuinely connecting with anyone in your life right now?

• What are you using to numb out the feelings?

• Are you functioning publicly but falling apart privately?

Sit with those questions. Really sit with them. If they hit a nerve, it’s time to pay attention.

Time to face reality before reality bites?

You don’t have to crash and burn before you get help. In fact, the strongest thing you can do is not wait.

Here’s where to start:

• Talk to someone. Someone who won’t try to “fix” you or manage your image.

• Get honest with yourself. Denial just delays healing.

• Take space. Step back. Protect your peace.

• Work with a therapist who understands fame, pressure, and the chaos that can come with both. You don’t need fluffy affirmations. You need truth. Clarity. Tools that work in your world.

  Several therapy approaches are clinically proven to help with depression — the best one depends on your personal needs, background, and how you process emotions. Here are the main ones I often recommend or blend when working with clients:

1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Best for: Understanding and changing negative thought patterns.

• CBT helps you identify the unhelpful thoughts that fuel depression (like “I’m not good enough” or “Nothing will ever change”) and replace them with more balanced thinking. It’s structured, goal-oriented, and evidence-based and widely used by the NHS and private therapists alike.

2. Psychodynamic Therapy

• Best for: Exploring the root causes of depression, especially from childhood or past relationships.

• This approach looks at the unconscious patterns you’ve developed over time and how your past is influencing how you feel now. It's less about fixing and more about understanding, which can bring deep emotional relief.

3. Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

• Best for: People whose depression is linked to grief, role changes (like divorce or fame), or relationship issues.

• IPT focuses on how your relationships affect your mood and vice versa. It helps improve communication, resolve conflicts, and adjust to major life changes.

4. Humanistic/Person-Centred Therapy

• Best for: People who need a non-judgmental space to explore their feelings and self-worth.

• This is all about acceptance and emotional safety. You lead the conversation, and the therapist supports you with empathy and compassion. It’s powerful if your depression stems from a lack of validation or chronic people-pleasing.

5. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)

• Best for: Depression linked to trauma.

• Originally developed for PTSD, EMDR can help reprocess painful experiences, so they stop triggering emotional overwhelm. It’s especially helpful if your depression includes flashbacks, numbness, or intense avoidance.

6. Integrative Therapy (like I use)

• Best for: High-profile individuals who need a flexible, private, and tailored approach.

• Integrative therapy blends different models (CBT, psychodynamic, trauma-informed, etc.) to suit you. As a celebrity therapist, I customise this to account for fame-related pressures, identity confusion, privacy concerns, and emotional burnout, because cookie-cutter solutions don’t work when your life is under a microscope.

If you’re dealing with depression right now, the right therapy could literally save your life, or at least give you back a sense of purpose, peace, and clarity.

“Should I go on meds?”

I get asked this all the time. And here’s my straight-up answer:

Medication can help. For some people, it’s life-saving. For others, it’s a temporary lift so they can start doing the deeper work in therapy. And for a few? It’s not the right fit, and that’s okay too.

What I don’t believe in is shame around it. Taking antidepressants doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your brain - which is an organ, not a character flaw - might need a bit of support right now. Just like you’d take something for a heart condition or diabetes.

That said, and this is important, pills alone won’t fix the root issue. They might dull the edge. They might make the world feel a bit less heavy. But if you don’t deal with what’s underneath - the pressure, the people-pleasing, the burnout, the trauma, the loneliness - it’ll just keep bubbling back up.

So, if you're considering meds, speak to a GP or psychiatrist who knows what they’re doing. Get facts. Ask questions. Be open. And if you do go on them? Stay in therapy too. That’s where the real transformation happens. You deserve to feel better. 

Listen. I know you may be exhausted. I know you’re performing off-stage just as much as you are on it. And I know you’ve got everyone fooled - maybe even yourself. But I see you. You’re not weak. You’re not being dramatic. You’re not ungrateful.

You’re just human. And right now, that human is hurting. You’ve been carrying the weight of expectation, public scrutiny, perfection, pressure. All while smiling for the cameras and showing up for fans, deals, and deadlines.

But what about you? When was the last time you felt joy that wasn’t tied to applause or adulation? When did you last do something without wondering how it would look or what people would think? You’re allowed to feel broken. But you’re not beyond repair.

Depression doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means something in your world needs attention. And the bravest thing you can do is stop pretending you’re fine and let someone in. You won’t fix it all overnight. You don’t have to explain it to the world. But you do have to stop abandoning yourself in service of your career or your image.

You are more than your brand. More than your performance. More than your feed.

So, Let’s strip it back. Let’s figure out what’s really going on with your feelings. And let’s rebuild something that feels real, grounded, and yours. You don’t have to do this alone. I’m here when you’re ready to start working on you.

Claire Evans works with many celebrities who have managed to successfully work through depression and depressive episodes. If you would be interested in a one-on-one session to discuss your feelings with a professional who understands your world, contact Claire today for a confidential informal chat.

Do it. Right now, if you are struggling today.

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