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Breakups are notoriously hard no matter who you are. As well as the emotional turmoil, many will often face the physical side effects of heartbreak.
Hosts of famous faces have been candid about their harrowing experiences over the years – admitting to having had ‘nervous breakdowns’, anxiety attacks, and even starving themselves.
This week, Helen Flanagan revealed that after ’emotionally struggling’ following her split from Scott Sinclair, as well as other personal life hurdles, she thought it would be good for her to take some ADHD medication.
‘But I had a really bad reaction though to the medication and it sent me into a psychosis for a few days which I didn’t know I was in,’ she recounted.
She ended her post by stating that she’s ‘always been honest on here and feels in a really good happy place now’.
This week, Helen Flanagan revealed that after ’emotionally struggling’ following her split from Scott Sinclair (both pictured)
Others stars have also admitted to enduring suicidal thoughts, as well as ‘crawling on the floor and throwing up’.
Here, FEMAIL looks at the times A-listers got real about the physical and mental turmoil they faced as a result of a broken heart…
HELEN FLANAGAN
Helen Flanagan this week returned to Instagram to give a health update after pulling out of her theatre tour at the beginning of the year.
The actress, 33, has revealed she was diagnosed with psychosis after suffering a ‘bead reaction’ to her ADHD medication.
In a lengthy post on Instagram the mother of three explained she was ’emotionally struggling’ with her split from ex Scott Sinclair and the demands of being a working single mother.
‘So basically I really struggled mental health wise December/ January,’ Helen began her post.
Posting alongside a smiling selfie, Helen continued: ‘I felt really not great in my head over Christmas and I didn’t really feel that much different when I took the kids away for new year. Had a lot of difficult things going on things I just can’t talk about on Instagram.’
In a lengthy post on Instagram the mother of three explained she was ’emotionally struggling’ with her split from ex Scott Sinclair and the demands of being a working single mother
Helen explained that she was feeling extra pressure as she rehearsed for her Cluedo 2 tour: ‘I felt terrible, so I was due my theatre tour which I was excited about so when I came back from holiday I thought it was best for me to take some medication so I’d feel better and be able to cope better with being a working single mum of three and I was emotionally struggling with the break up from the father of my kids.’
‘But I had a really bad reaction though to the medication ( an ADHD medication) and it sent me into a psychosis for a few days which I didn’t know I was in.’
‘I just love my kids so much x this bad reaction though was a few days before rehearsals were starting and sadly I just wasn’t mentally well enough to do it.’
‘I was heartbroken as I’ve always been professional as an actress but i needed to stay at home and feel better for me and my kids, with the help of my amazing parents ❤️’
She ended her post by stating that ‘I’ve always been honest on here and I feel in a really good happy place now. therapy can be amazing and I feel like I’ve worked on myself with things that were quite tough to me but I feel lighter now ✨ anyway sending love and please be kind.’
The star has previously spoken about their co-parenting as she described it as ‘pretty drama-free’, insisting they have been doing everything they can to make things easier for the kids since their split.
Helen explained that she was feeling extra pressure as she rehearsed for her Cluedo 2 tour. Pictured in October
She told The Sun: ‘I co-parent with Scott. We were together for a long time. So he lives with his mum in Bristol and I live in Manchester with the kids. I get on really well with Scott’s mum.
‘I was with Scott aged 19-31, so that’s why I get on so well with his mum. So honestly it makes my life so easy because we hang out together. It’s really nice. It’s pretty drama free as I get on really well with her.
‘The kids see their dad all the time, they see their nana a lot. We’re always in Birmingham a lot to meet with the kids half way.’
Meanwhile Helen has also been open about her previous health struggles, after she spoke out about her battle with postnatal depression, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and intrusive thoughts, last October.
She admitted the conditions had left her in therapy for a year as she ‘struggled really badly’ after the births of two of her children.
DREW BARRYMORE
After her divorce from Will Kopelman, Drew, 49, opened up about having a ‘nervous breakdown’ and spiraling so much that her therapist ‘quit’ on her.
‘Divorce was my worst fear,’ she told You Magazine in 2021. ‘It was something I never wanted to put my own children through. ‘I felt broken. Truly, honestly broken.
I made some big, sweeping changes to my life and luckily I made them right before the pandemic because I fear the place I would have been in if I hadn’t. I just about managed to hold the nose of the plane up before it crashed and then the pandemic hit.’
Drew added that she also had a ‘nice long, juice mental breakdown’.
‘You have to believe during this rollercoaster of life that you will get back up,’ she continued. ;But there was something very high stakes about this as my children were involved. Being a parent is the most important thing, but raising babies is terrifying and exciting and very hard.’
After her divorce from Will Kopelman, Drew, 49, opened up about having a ‘nervous breakdown’ and spiraling so much that her therapist ‘quit’ on her. Both pictured in 2014
Drew added that she also had a ‘nice long, juice mental breakdown’ after the split. Pictured in March last year
Last year, Drew also told the Los Angeles Times that she was in such a destructive after the split, that her therapist Barry Michels said he ‘can’t do this anymore’.
‘It was really about my drinking,’ she explained. ‘I said, ‘I get it. I’ve never respected you more. You see I’m not getting better. And I hope, one day, that I can earn your trust back.”
The E.T. star, who shares daughters Olive, 10, and Frankie, eight, with her ex, started drinking heavily when her marriage failed.
The Ever After actress wanted her daughters to have the nuclear family she didn’t have growing up and her divorce felt like a personal failure.
The 50 First Dates actress was married to Kopelman from 2012 to 2016.
She spent a few years post-divorce drinking to numb the pain. When she started her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, in 2019, she had an epiphany.
‘I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me,’ she said. ‘I was like, ‘I can’t handle this unless I’m in a really clear place.”
The Santa Clarita Diet alum put down the bottle after she shot the pilot of her talk show.
And two years after her therapist quit on her, she got back in touch with him and they started working together again.
EVA LONGORIA
Eva Longoria has previously admitted that she was at her ‘unhealthiest’ after her split from ex-husband Tony Parker, and that she starved herself following the break-up.
In 2013, the actress, now 49, gave a candid interview to Dr. Oz where she revealed that she was so heartbroken that she stopped eating.
‘I was not eating. I was depressed. I was sad. My diet was coffee,’ Eva told the health guru.
Eva Longoria has previously admitted that she was at her ‘unhealthiest’ after her split from ex-husband Tony Parker, and that she starved herself following the break-up. Both pictured in 2010
In 2013, the actress, now 49 (pictured earlier this month), gave a candid interview to Dr. Oz where she revealed that she was so heartbroken that she stopped eating
The Desperate Housewives star then added that while she grew thinner, she only received more compliments about her appearance.
‘So people kept saying, ‘You look amazing. Divorce agrees with you.’ Eva recalled. ‘And I was like, I don’t feel good. I have no energy.’
Eva filed for divorce from the NBA star in November 2010 amid claims that he was cheating on her with the wife of one of his former San Antonio Spurs teammates.
She told Dr. Oz: ‘I didn’t know I was depressed. I mean, I knew it was a sad moment in my life, but I wouldn’t categorize myself as depressed.’
As her health continued to go downhill after the breakdown of her three year marriage, Eva eventually decided to seek help.
She was told by doctors that she ‘was just depleted of every vitamin’ after taking emergency tests.
‘[The doctor] said it’s as if somebody took a straw and sucked everything out of your body. You don’t have any iron, your liver’s overacting,’ Eva said.
‘It was like all these things were physically wrong with my body, so I had to saturate with vitamins and kind of get back on this track.’
Eva was prescribed a healthier diet and told that for three months she should ‘cut out all sugar and anything that turns into sugar’.
And it did the trick. ‘[Afterwards] I had more energy than I’ve ever had,’ Eva revealed. ‘My palate was different. Things tasted better.’
ADELE
Adele has in past admitted how she suffered from ‘paralysing’ panic attacks after the fallout from her divorce from Simon Konecki.
Speaking with Oprah on her One Night Only special in 2021, as reported by Prevention, the singer, 35, explained: ‘I had the most terrifying anxiety attacks after I left my marriage.
‘They paralyzed me completely and made me so confused because I wouldn’t be able to have any control over my body.
‘But I was aware of that happening because it was kind of still very much there while my whole body was just, like, on another planet, it felt like.’
Adele has in past admitted how she suffered from ‘paralysing’ panic attacks after the fallout from her divorce from Simon Konecki. Both pictured in 2013
The singer shares son Angelo with her ex, and has also before revealed she would try to put on a brave face until their little boy was sleeping.
Speaking on Australian radio station Carrie & Tommy in 2021, Adele revealed one of the songs on her album, 30, features a voicemail she left for her friend as she suffered with a panic attack.
‘It’s in the song about my son, it’s at the end, in the outro. I was really frightened,’ she explained.
‘I was having an anxiety attack and I called my best friend to try to talk to her to calm me down but she didn’t bloody answer.
The singer shares son Angelo with her ex, and has also before revealed she would try to put on a brave face until their little boy was sleeping. Pictured last year
‘It shines some light on… I’m talking about my son in the rest of the song, and once I put him to bed I can stop putting on that brave face.’
Adele and charity CEO Simon announced they were going their separate ways in April 2019 after nine years together, and their divorce was finalised in March 2021.
While the pair have remained amicable and co-parent their son, the pain Adele felt during their split was the inspiration behind her album.
RITA SIMONS
Rita Simons revealed that she suffered a deep depression after her divorce from her husband of 14 years Theo Silveston.
The former EastEnders actress, 47, has in past spoken out about her difficulties after her stressful break-up, admitting she became ‘aggressive, hardened and defensive’ following the split.
Soap star Rita – who is mother to twin daughters Jaimee and Maiya – and hairdresser Theo went their separate ways in 2018 before divorcing two years later, with the performer telling The Sun she struggled to get out of bed when she was at her worst.
Rita Simons revealed that she suffered a deep depression after her divorce from her husband of 14 years Theo Silveston. Both pictured in 2017
She said: ‘When I look back, I used to be quite aggressive, hardened and defensive, like I was on guard all the time.
‘If something bad happened, I’d be the first to go, “Raagh!”, and start screaming.’
Rita said she used to challenge her anger at the gym where she took up boxing, insisting she doesn’t lose her temper today and that the time away from her marriage has ‘softened’ her.
Reflecting on some of her lowest moments, the former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! campmate said: ‘It was a deep sadness, I would say a depression. I couldn’t see the wood for the trees.’
She admitted she didn’t want to work at the time despite considering herself a ‘grafter’, with the star admitting her mental difficulties took a toll on her physical health.
‘It was all kind of lumped into one big mess and I was very ill a lot of the time,’ she explained.
‘I lost a lot of weight. And I wasn’t telling people about the marriage because although my kids knew, I didn’t want them reading about it.
The former EastEnders actress, 47, has in past spoken out about her difficulties after her stressful break-up, admitting she became ‘aggressive, hardened and defensive’ following the split. Pictured in April last year
‘That just ate me up, not being able to tell people what was really going on.’
While the star, who has battled anxiety and OCD from around the age of seven, knew she should take some time out, she kept herself busy with work, signing up to appear in West End musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and pantomime Sleeping Beauty after leaving EastEnders as Roxy Mitchell in 2017.
After working solidly for 13 years, Rita’s personal struggles took a toll on her, with the star admitting she reached crisis point while touring with the play The House On Cold Hill in 2019.
She said she considered throwing herself down some stairs on set as a cry for help.
Rita is still friends with Theo today but described their divorce process as ‘cold’ and ‘clinical’.
PALOMA FAITH
Last month, Paloma Faith has revealed that she had a ‘nervous breakdown’ following her split from husband Leyman Lahcine.
The singer, 42 admitted she finds it hard to look back on that period in her life because she was ‘so broken’ and ‘full of guilt and shame’ over the end of their relationship.
Paloma married Leyman, 36, in 2017, before confirming they’d split in 2022 after nine years together.
Last month, Paloma Faith has revealed that she had a ‘nervous breakdown’ following her split from husband Leyman Lahcine. Both pictured in 2018
The singer, 42 admitted she finds it hard to look back on that period in her life because she was ‘so broken’ and ‘full of guilt and shame’ over the end of their relationship. Pictured in February
The New York hitmaker and the French artist – with whom she has two daughters aged seven and two – parted ways in 2022.
Speaking about her relationship with her ex-partner now, Paloma told The Sun: ‘I was so broken, honestly – I think I had a nervous breakdown.
‘I was so broken that my brain didn’t even work in that way of being conscious. It is difficult for me to remember much of it because I was so sad and full of guilt and shame.’
Despite her heartbreak, Paloma star was determined to maintain an amicable relationship with her ex for the sake of their children.
She said: ‘You have to see your ex all the time. You can’t just say, ”This is too painful”.
‘We are conflict-adverse so we were both quick to try and be amicable and, as with most things in life, if you pretend it for long enough it becomes true.’
KATY PERRY
Katy Perry considered taking her own life following her 2017 split from Orlando Bloom and her album Witness’ poor chart performance.
The singer, 39, in 2020 admitted she was at rock bottom after low moments in both her personal and professional lives.
She told radio station SiriusXM CBC: ‘My career was on this trajectory when it was going up, up and up and then I had the smallest shift, not that huge from an outside perspective. But for me it was seismic.
‘I had given so much out, and it literally broke me in half. I had broken up with my boyfriend, who is now my baby daddy-to-be.
‘And then I was excited about flying high off the next record. But the validation did not make me high, and so I just crashed.’
The star, who grew up with parents who were Pentecostal pastors, went on to reveal that her faith helped her heal over time.
Katy Perry considered taking her own life following her 2017 split from Orlando Bloom and her album Witness’ poor chart performance. The couple in 2021
She continued: ‘It was so important for me to be broken so that I could find my wholeness in a whole different way. And be more dimensional than just living my life like a thirsty pop star all the time.
‘Gratitude is probably the thing that saved my life, because if I did not find that I would have wallowed in my own sadness and probably just jumped.
‘But I found the ways to be grateful. If it gets really, really hard I walk around and say, “I am grateful, I am grateful!”; even though I am in a sh***y mood.’
The California native went on to reveal that she is now in a much better place after a years of dealing with mental health issues.
She said: ‘Hope has always been an option for me, because of my relationship with God and something that is bigger than me. Of course if I am the one controlling my destiny I am going to be the one driving it into the ground.
‘My hope is that something bigger than me created me for a purpose and created me for a reason, and that I’m not disposable, and that every person that’s been created has a purpose.’
The California native went on to reveal that she is now in a much better place after a years of dealing with mental health issues. Pictured in March
Katy and Orlando were first linked when they were seen flirting at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2016, and went public with their relationship a few months later in May at the Cannes Film Festival.
The couple parted ways just over a year later in March 2017, but the split wasn’t to last and they got back together later that year.
The actor proposed to his long-term love on Valentine’s Day in 2019 when he popped the question with a $5 million flower-shaped ring in front of Katy’s entire family.
EMMA STONE
Emma Stone, 35, has in past said that her first heartbreak – not disclosing any names – saw her ‘crawling on the floor’ and ‘throwing up’.
Speaking to Interview in 2012, she said: ‘Like, within the hour. I remember being on the floor . . . I have never felt anything quite like that.
Emma Stone, 35, has in past said that her first heartbreak – not disclosing any names – saw her ‘crawling on the floor’ and ‘throwing up’. Pictured in March
‘It was so visceral. It’s like someone has killed you and you have to live through it and watch it happen . . . It was awful.’
For confidential support call National Suicide Prevention Line, 1-800-273-8255
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details
