Scarlett Moffatt has said negativity and sadness were “consuming” her before she called the Samaritans to ask for help.
The TV personality, who won I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! in 2016, said social media trolling over her weight led her to think “I can’t do this anymore”.
The 30-year-old, who is now an ambassador for Samaritans, appeared on BBC Breakfast during Mental Health Awareness Week to recall how she sought help from the mental health charity.
Recalling her rise to fame in 2016, she said: “When I came out of the jungle I was on top of the world. I finally felt accepted.
“With all those positive things came a lot of negativity and before long it was just consuming me. This sadness was just consuming every part of my body.
“I would get a lot of trolling about the way that I looked, specifically about my weight, about being very slim. Then I got bigger and people didn’t like that.
“People saying ‘You should just go and kill yourself, I shouldn’t have to look at you on my TV’ and I just thought ‘I can’t do this anymore’.”
After reaching her lowest point, Moffatt called the Samaritans’ hotline using a fake name, which prompted her to seek help from her GP.
Moffatt, from County Durham, said her mental health has improved since then and she now feels as “carefree” as before she found fame.
Speaking about what it was like to hear the voice of a Samaritan volunteer over the phone, she said: “This is going to sound really dramatic but you do feel it is just like hope. That is what it sounded like, hope. Just hearing someone saying ‘Hello, Samaritans, what’s wrong?’
TV Presenter Scarlett Moffatt has told #BBCBreakfast “horrific” trolling led to her reaching out to the Samaritans.
Steve is a listening volunteer for the charity. He says Scarlett's story will make a big difference. https://t.co/L1m3k8sM8S pic.twitter.com/mER3jz8Eos
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) May 10, 2021
“I felt really sad, I spoke to Samaritans, I got help from my GP and now I am in such a good place with my little dog and my boyfriend and my friends and family.
“I just love life. I feel like I am the old Scarlett again, the 18-year-old Scarlett that was carefree. I feel like I am that girl again.”
During the segment, Moffatt also met two other people who had sought help from the Samaritans after suffering mental health problems.
– Anyone struggling to cope can call Samaritans free of charge on 116 123 (UK and Ireland), email jo@samaritans.org or visit the Samaritans website.