Olivia Bowen has shared that she recently struggled with postnatal depression.
The former Love Island star, who met her husband Alex Bowen on the hit ITV show back in 2016, became a mother for the first time last year.
On June 10, Olivia and Alex welcomed their baby son Abel into the world. At the time, the new mum confirmed that she had been preparing for a C-section, but she ended up giving birth with the help of forceps during 30 hours of labour.
However, despite loving life as a mum-of-one, Olivia has now admitted that she has struggled in the months after Abel's birth.
In an interview with OK!, the 29-year-old recalled the difficult emotions that she has recently been experiencing.
"I've had quite a hard time in the last 3 or 4 months. I think I did actually suffer from postnatal depression and it turned into bad anxiety. So, I ended up back in therapy a couple of months ago,” she confessed.
Olivia, who tied the knot with Alex in September 2018 and announced her pregnancy on January 1 last year, then went on to reveal that openly speaking about her experience has greatly helped her.
"It was quite a hard time and I feel like I’m finally coming out the other side of it now, I’ve finally asked for help and accepted the way I feel. It’s been really nice to get validation from a therapist and talk it through to dismantle little things that have happened to me,” she explained.
In her final thoughts, the former Love Island runner-up pleaded with any struggling mums to ask for support.
"I definitely feel like I’m in a better place now and I recommend to any mum, reach out and ask for help, it isn’t normal to feel super, super down. If you’re really struggling then you need to ask for help,” Olivia concluded.
