Former Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams proved that depression can affect absolutely anyone on Oct. 18, when she revealed that she was suicidal at the height of her girl band’s fame. “I’m in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression,” she explained while guest-hosting on The Talk. “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. What do I do?’ And I wanted out.” Poor thing!

To make matters worse, she definitely didn’t get the support she needed from Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father who was managing the group. “When I disclosed it to our manager at the time, bless his heart, he was like, ‘Y’all just signed a multi-million dollar deal and you’re about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about?’ So I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’m just tired.’” Luckily, years later, she finally learned about what it was that she had been experiencing.

“I didn’t know until I was in my 30s what was going on,” she explained. “I just thought it was growing pains. I just thought, ‘I’m turning into a woman.’ I’ve been suffering since the ages of between 13 and 15. At that age, I didn’t know what to call it.” Luckily, she feels a lot better now. “It’s off. It’s released. I’ve released it.” She gave love to other stars like Demi Lovato who have been outspoken about their struggles. “Depression doesn’t mean lazy. Self-harm doesn’t mean you want attention. It’s not any of that.”

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Michelle was overwhelmed with the fan reaction to her story. She shared an email she received from an inspired mother later the same day, and took the opportunity to express her gratitude. “I truly didn’t know what to expect by discussing depression and how dark it was for me,” she wrote. “Letters like this comfort me letting me know it’s ok to CONTINUE sharing my story that I actually share with millions of others! 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!” Keep up the good work, Michelle!

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