Lily Allen has announced she’s stepping back from her work commitments to focus on her mental health.
The award-winning singer-songwriter disclosed during the latest edition of her BBC Sounds podcast Miss Me? that she was “going away next week” and would be taking a break from the show for at least “a few weeks”.
She shared: “I’m really not in a good place. I know I’ve been talking about it for months, but I’ve been spiralling and spiralling and spiralling, and it’s got out of control.
“I’ve tried. I came to the Miss Me? Christmas lunch and had a panic attack and had to go home. And I went to see something at the theatre the other night with my friends... and I had to leave at half-time.”
Lily claimed that she’s struggling to concentrate “on anything except the pain that I’m going through”.
She also took the opportunity to dismiss speculation that she had relapsed in her sobriety, ruling out that her time away would involve a stint in rehab.
However, she said that she was “not allowed” to use her phone where she is going.
Last month, Lily made headlines when she told her podcast listeners that she had been “not really in a great place mentally” for around the last three years, which had recently begun manifesting itself in her “not eating”.
Reports in the press last month claimed that Lily and her husband of more than four years, Stranger Things actor David Harbour, had parted ways, though neither party has commented on this publicly.
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.