This year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is nearly over and the fact that this series has been almost entirely drama free hasn’t gone unnoticed. That’s in no small part thanks to the warm, kind and unguarded cast of celebrities (and the fact there were no problematic politicians in the line-up).
We have witnessed this group – including Danny Jones, Oti Mabuse, Maura Higgins, Reverend Richard Coles, Barry McGuigan, Coleen Rooney, Tulisa Contostavlos, Jane Moore, Alan Halsall, Dean McCullough, Melvin Odoom and GK Barry – discuss everything from grief to absent parents to unattainable beauty standards to depression with a level of sensitivity and compassion usually reserved for intimate one-on-one podcast interviews. The fact they have all been so open with one another is a testament to the atmosphere they have created in camp.
On Thursday night’s episode, we saw Danny Jones, Oti Mabuse and Coleen Rooney speak candidly about their respective experiences of postnatal depression. McFly star Danny opened up about his wife’s struggles with her mental health after having their baby and reflect on his own handling of the situation.
'Seeing my wife go through that was new,' he told his campmates, 'but naturally we are fixers. When a baby is crying and all it wants is its mum it’s like “oh okay”. It’s kind of a bizarre place to be because they don’t really need you yet as a Dad. So your job is to look after the Mum.
‘Looking back, she had postnatal depression,' he continued. 'That is so hard and what made it harder was that she didn’t know.’
Oti then recalled the first shower she took in hospital after the traumatic birth of her daughter – who was born prematurely with an infection and spent six weeks in intensive care – where she burst into tears. The former Strictly star revealed that, because of her public profile, she felt a pressure to maintain her 'bubbly' image in hospital even when she was struggling.
'I’m always bubbly, but I wasn’t feeling bubbly in that moment,' she admitted. 'I was doing it for [the midwives]. I was crying, I was devastated. Nothing was wrong, but everything was wrong.’
Postnatal depression, a mood disorder that can impact women after having a baby, is common and affects more than one in every 10 women within a year of giving birth - it can also affect fathers and partners.
The conversation then prompted Coleen to offer her own experience of low mood after having her eldest son Kai. ‘A few days after I had Kai I went into my mum and I just threw myself on the bed and I was just sobbing, but then I started thinking about other women who were less fortunate than me. People who were on their own, single parents, people who in accommodation and I was like “Coleen get yourself together, your fine, you’ve got a healthy baby.” But the emotions just take over.'
In opening up about their own experiences, the celebrities serve as a reminder that depression does not always take your circumstances into account. No one should feel unable to seek help because they deem themselves unworthy or too fortunate to be struggling.
Oti then admitted that it was particularly challenging for her husband, Marius Lepure, to know how best to comfort her. She told her campmates that while Marius makes her feel mentally and physically strong, what she needed in that moment was emotional support.
Danny then chimed in to say, 'That's what I didn't know and I regret that I didn't know that to be honest. I wanted to try to fix it and go “come on, you can do this” but that’s not what she needed. She needed me to sit round and say “everything is going to be okay”, sit next to her, put my arm around her.’
In admitting how he misjudged his wife's needs during her postnatal depression, Danny has, hopefully, started an important conversation around how we should support our loved ones during difficult times and that it is okay to make mistakes if we are willing to learn from them – something he has obviously done.
Barry was right to reassure him that he probably didn't have the experience he needed to get things right the first time round, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. It's advice that will likely come in handy at some point in all of our lives – if it hasn't already.
One viewer commented on the clip on I'm A Celeb's Instagram to say, 'Sat at home feeding my 2 week old baby watching this… needed to hear that conversation.' Another wrote, 'such an important topic to talk about' and a third agreed, 'These conversations are so fantastic this year. Thank you so much for talking about such important topics.'
Another viewer echoed their sentiments, 'I suffered PND, appreciate this conversation so much. It’s so open and honest. I only wish I had that hug during my time to tell me it would all be ok. Thank you for raising this awareness.'
The conversation is the culmination of what has been one of the most positive and affirming series of I'm A Celeb in a long time. The audience has been privy to several moving, relatable and important conversations, delicately interjected into a show where the same stars are usually neck-deep in fish guts and cockroaches. I guess that's why it's been going for 22 years – and why so many people choose to keep watching.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).