Daisy May Cooper has recalled how she hid her mental health struggles due to fears her children would be taken away from her.
The This Country star, 36, admits she struggled with depression amid the end of her marriage with Will Weston last year and even felt suicidal at one point, but says say 'didn't have the choice' to take her own life as her two children, Pip, four, and Jack, two, depended on her.
Am I Being Unreasonable? actress Daisy explains how she hit 'rock bottom' before she and her ex-husband announced their split in July 2021, but at the time couldn't admit that she had 'lost her identity' and needed help over fears people would judge her parenting skills.
The star - who recently told Alan Carr all about her first holiday as a single woman - and Will announced their plans to divorce just 10 months after welcoming their second son into the world together in October 2020. Daisy has since confessed she didn't want to leave the hospital after giving birth as she didn't want to return to her then-husband.
Opening up about the breakdown of her marriage and her mental health struggles, Daisy explains how she was unable to discuss her feelings during the time period she felt low and depressed, saying: "I wasn't able to admit that I'd completely lost my identity. I was terrified if I talked about the struggles that someone would go, 'Oh, you're not a fit mother, you should have your kids taken off you'."
Speaking to Grazia magazine, she goes on to detail a conversation with her friend and Am I Being Unreasonable? co-star Seline Hizli, recalling: "We just both broke down on the phone and I said... [pause] I felt suicidal, I f**king felt suicidal and what made me feel even angrier was that I had two kids.
"I couldn't f***ing commit suicide. I didn't even have the choice, if I wanted to go and top myself, because I've got these two kids that are dependent on me. And I felt even more trapped in that, it was horrible."
Daisy credits Seline with helping her battle her struggles and going on to split from her husband and navigate a new way of life.
Speaking on Alan Carr's podcast earlier this week, Daisy revealed how her first holiday as a single mother was 'a disaster', as she unsuccessfully tried to seduce a waiter during a trip to Greece.
"I went away with my friend and we took our four kids. I recently separated from my husband, so it was my first time as a single mum taking the kids away – and it was a f***ing nightmare," she recalled on the comedian's Life's A Beach podcast.
"My son shat through his shorts. I didn’t have a nappy. Then I went through security and couldn’t put the pushchair down.
"My son was running through the security thing, and all these security officers were shouting at me in Greek and I just started retching. I’ve never done it before, but I was so stressed I couldn’t speak."
She went on to explain that despite a bad start to the trip, a waiter caught her eye and the actress attempted to strike up a holiday romance.
"I got his number but I got a bit p***ed. When all the kids went to sleep I sent him a message – his name was Markos," she shared.
"So I sent him a message and it just said ‘You going to come round or what?’
"And I’ve never seen somebody actually text in their own accent before. He said ‘I cannot. I’m so sorry. I will lose my job. I need the monies’."
A rejected - and slightly tipsy - Daisy revealed she wrote back: "Bore off then", leaving podcast host Alan in fits of giggles.
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
