Frankie Bridge admits ‘sense of shame’ during depression battle that left her hospitalised

"I think a lot of people assume that my depression and anxiety came from being in the spotlight, being in a pop group, but I always say I came out of the womb anxious. I was just always like that. It's just in me."

- Frankie Bridge

Chart success, fame, money - in her early twenties it seemed that The Saturdays' star Frankie Bridge had it all. Little did her fans know that she was living with severe depression and anxiety that resulted in her seeking psychiatric care in hospital.

Now Frankie's revealing how depression affected her life in her new book OPEN: Why asking for help can save your life, and she joined Phillip and Holly on the sofa to tell us more.

"My grandmother called me sunshine and showers, which is now tattooed on my back.

She's the only person who got me."

- Frankie Bridge

Frankie revealed her depression and anxiety started before she was in the spotlight as a member of S Club Juniors and then The Saturdays, "I always say I came out of the womb anxious. It's just in me".

In fact, Frankie remembers her years in S Club Juniors as a happy time.

"I think because we were so young, I was so oblivious," she explained. "There wasn't any social media, the press wasn't really allowed to write about us and you have no idea how big things are when you are young."

Frankie admits she was struggling as a member of The Saturdays, but hid her difficulties from the rest of the group.

She recalled: "It wasn't really until things really came to a head that they were aware, it wasn't really until I came out of the hospital that they knew the full extent."

Frankie decided she needed to check herself into a psychiatric hospital before shooting the video for the single The Heart Takes Over.

Watching a clip of music video she explained, "Although I look at that and I see a shell of myself, I remember just feeling a sense of relief that I knew when I got back things were going to be sorted out."

Frankie didn't tell her parents she was in hospital until she'd been there for three days.

"For me it was almost a sense a shame, because I had everything I'd always wanted, everything I'd always worked for, and to turn around to people and say, 'Actually I'm still really unhappy', I just felt really ashamed of that."

Talking about her relationship with now-husband Wayne Bridge, Frankie explained, "I was really lucky with Wayne because we'd only been together for a year ... he was a big part of my recovery, he's the person that spoke to my GP to get me into hospital."

And Frankie's advice for people who are struggling with their mental health? "It is the first step to getting help. It's the only way to feel better. Because you feel understood, you feel people are looking out for you."

Frankie's next challenge is in aid of Sport Relief - she'll be trekking 100 miles across a frozen lake in Mongolia to raise money for mental health services.

Other celebs joining Frankie are Nick Grimshaw, Judge Rinder and our own Dr Zoe!

"For me, it's about doing things that scare me because then it gives me back up to be able to prove to myself when I'm anxious about something, actually you're fine," said Frankie.

"I'm so excited. It's definitely going to be hard, but it's going to be fun!"