Frankie Essex almost committed suicide last year.
The former ‘The Only Way is Essex’ star – who is known for her bubbly personality and care-free view on life – lost her mother Tina when she was just 13 years old but finds the devastating blow she endured as a teenager still affects her now and almost encouraged her to take her own life recently.
She explained: "I did think about killing myself, like my mum. She was depressed and I’m scared I’ll fall into that hole.
"But I’m on antidepressants now and they’re helping me feel happier. I want to be the old Frankie again."
The blonde beauty found herself falling into a downward spiral after she piled on the pounds – ballooning to her biggest – and ending her toxic relationship with her boyfriend John Lyons.
She said: "I’d lost all my confidence. I had a really sh** year, probably the worst year I’ve ever had, and I was really down. I lived with my boyfriend John and I had to move out."
The 28-year-old reality TV star moved in with her cousin Chloe Sims for a month and believes if it wasn’t for her former co-star then she probably wouldn’t be here today.
She added to NOW magazine: "I’m on a six-week waiting list to see a counsellor. If it wasn’t for Chloe [Sims, her cousin], I don’t know where I’d be today."