Frankie Sandford, the Saturdays singer, has revealed that she checked herself into rehab in an attempt to battle the depression that led her to feel that she was ugly and worthless. Frankie, 23, dates the footballer Wayne Bridge and first found fame when she was 12 and became a member of the pop band S Club 8.
"I felt that I was worthless, that I was ugly, that I didn't deserve anything," Frankie told Glamour magazine. "I thought people would think, 'What have you got to be depressed about?'" She explained that although she initially only told Wayne how she was feeling, she eventually opened up to her fellow Saturdays band members, who have been very supportive. "They were like, 'Why didn't you tell us?' I'd got so good at covering it up, I didn't confide in anyone." Despite suffering from panic attacks, Frankie left hospital after a month and joined the rest of the girls on tour. "I managed to do the tour," she said "and only had one panic attack. I'm proud of that."
Sandford also explained that the hospital staff had also been very helpful and supportive and helped her to put her illness into perspective, explaining "A doctor told me it's like having asthma: it's something you have, it's not going to go away. That made me feel better." The young pop star also offered a word of advice to anyone else suffering with depression: "It's important that you talk to someone as soon as possible. Get help and advice from your GP, a friend or a parent."