Mel C felt like she was "going mad" before her doctor diagnosed her with depression.
The Spice Girls star has always done her best to be open about her mental health struggles over the years, and reflected on the highs and lows in her journey in a new interview with Women's Health magazine.
Recalling the moment she was told she had depression, Mel explained: "It all came tumbling down around the millennium when I was in L.A. with my family and I started to feel very low. I was struggling to get out of bed, I was binge eating, I couldn't stop crying.
"I literally felt like I was going mad, so I came back to the U.K. and saw my GP (general practitioner doctor), and the first thing he diagnosed me with was depression. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, it's something, it has a name and it can be treated.' That was day one of my recovery."
The 45-year-old singer is in a much more positive place these days, and still has therapy on a weekly basis - calling it "great". Being more aware of her feelings means she can also predict when she's hitting a rocky patch, and take steps to keep herself safe.
"I have to accept that (my mental health) is ever-changing," she mused. "Nothing stays the same. Now, I have what I call my toolkit; if I feel like I'm getting a bit low, then the first thing is to get rid of alcohol. It makes me feel anxious and I know I won't make the best choices the next day. I make sure I get enough sleep, make sure I'm eating properly; exercising, but not too much."
