Rickie-Lee says she battled depression so severe she was unable to leave the house for days. Picture: The Daily Telegraph Source: The Daily Telegraph
- Ricki-Lee reveals battle with depression
- Unable to leave the house for days
- "Bottling it all up made things worse"
- Need help?�Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36
ON the surface she seems to have it all, but singer Ricki-Lee Coulter says she has been fighting an ongoing battle with depression that, at its worst, left her unable to leave her house for days.
Speaking for the first time about her emotional turmoil, Coulter said her troubles began during her turbulent relationship with high school sweetheart Jamie Babbington.
Their one-year marriage ended in divorce in 2008 just as her career was hitting new highs.
"I was living my dreambut behind closed doors my personal life� was a mess," the 2004 Australian Idol contestant told The Sunday Telegraph.
"I felt alone, I bottled it all up and it made things worse.
"I wanted to give up everything. I wouldn't leave the house for days at a time. I'd sit in the house all day and do nothing.
"There was this big black cloud hanging over me all the time and I didn't know how to get away from it."
Drawing on her own experiences with depression, the 26-year-old has signed on to Marie Claire magazine's Shine A Light campaign, which will feature in this Wednesday's issue, along with actors Asher Keddie, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith and Ada Nicodemou, news readers Samantha Armytage and Jessica Rowe and TV presenter Charlotte Dawson.
"It's something I've been through and something I have experienced so if I can use my voice to shed some light and help other people feel confident and comfortable enough to know they are not alone, then that's great," she said.
Coulter, who recently lost 25kg and is happy in a new relationship with personal trainer Richard Harrison, said she had no regrets with all of her life experiences and had learned to come to terms with the person she is today.
If you are having trouble with depression or feel you need to talk, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
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