Frankie Bridge has admitted embarking on a music career at a young age affected her mental health.
Frankie, who joined pop group S Club Juniors at the age of 12, discussed her battle with mental illness as she was named the winner of the Mental Health Game Changer award at Glamour's Women of the Year Awards 2021 on Thursday.
Accepting the award at the ceremony, hosted by comedian Katherine Ryan, Frankie, 32, thanked Glamour for assuring her she is helping people "just by having honest and open conversations".
"As I grew up in the public eye, I realised that I didn't have much control over my own life, and it got to a point where I felt like I was coming into work and I was being 'Frankie from The Saturdays' rather than just Frankie," said the singer.
"I always say that I was someone who was born anxious. I started feeling that I didn't want to be around anymore, I didn’t want to live my life anymore. I wasn't able to cope with day-to-day normal life without crying.
"I found I wanted to spend all my time in bed and hide away. That was when I realised that maybe my depression and anxiety had taken over me rather than me having control over it."
The Saturdays star first opened up about her struggles in an interview with Glamour magazine after she was admitted to a psychiatric ward after suffering from a mental breakdown in 2011.
Revealing people still come up to her to talk about the interview, she added: "The fact that people still come up and tell me about that one interview in Glamour magazine just means so much to me."
