Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams has opened up about her exerpience with depression.
During her co-hosting gig on “The Talk” Wednesday, the singer shared her story and revealed she began suffering from the disorder between the ages of 13 and 15.
“I didn’t know until I was in my 30s what was going on,” Williams said, adding that she thought she was just experiencing “growing pains” or “turning into a woman.”
She continued: “So many people are walking around acting like they’ve got it all together and they’re suffering. For years, I was in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression.”
Williams revealed she told Destiny’s Child’s manager at the time, Mathew Knowles, about how she was feeling, though he didn’t seem to fully understand her situation.
“Bless his heart, he was like, ‘Y’all just signed a multi-million dollar deal, you’re about to go on tour, what do you have to be depressed about?’” Williams said, later noting that she never felt Knowles’s intentions were bad. “I think he wanted me to be grateful, which I was, but I was still sad.”
When asked about the severity of her depression, Williams said it got so bad that she felt suicidal.
“I was to that place where it got so dark and heavy, because sometimes you feel like, I’m the provider, I take care of people, I’m not supposed to be feeling this way.”
“I wanted out,” she said.
Now, the performer wants to focus on normalizing the discussion around mental health and end the stigma associated with depression.
Following her appearance on “The Talk,” Williams posted a touching email message from a fan who thanked the singer for sharing her story.
“Letters like this comfort me letting me know it’s ok to CONTINUE sharing my story that I actually share with millions of others!” Williams captioned the note. “Lord I thank you for this opportunity to use my platform to save lives and let people know they’re not odd, crazy, WEAK, or alone.....they just need help and guidance!!”
Williams first spoke about living with depression back in 2013 during an interview with The Associated Press.
“We’re taught, ‘Just go to church and pray about it. The Lord is going to heal you,’” Williams said, per People. ”“Well, in the meantime, I believe God-gifted people, physicians, doctors, therapists ― that’s your healing. Take advantage of it. Go see a professional so that they can assess you. It’s okay if you’re going through something. Depression is not okay, but it is okay to go get help.”
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