Justin Bieber’s
sensational rise – and fall to depression
His battle with depression has been played out for the world to see, and while Justin Bieber has taken a positive approach to tackling his issues, he was snapped out and about looking worse for wear after the decision to postpone his second wedding to Hailey Baldwin.
The Sorry singer has admitted he’s been struggling with mental health issues for years – it was the reason he cancelled the final 14 shows of his Purpose World Tour in 2017 – but family and friends are concerned he may have taken a step backwards. “I got really depressed on tour,” Justin, 24, says. “I’m still processing so much stuff I haven’t talked about. I was lonely. I needed some time.” The singer is believed to have been undergoing therapy with mental health professionals, and religious counselling through Hillsong. He has admitted he’s “emotionally unstable” and Hailey, 22, confessed the newlyweds are finding marriage “very hard”. The couple are rumoured to have undergone pre and post-marriage counselling after it became clear there was trouble when Justin was pictured in floods of tears, being comforted by his new bride.
FRIENDS & LOVERS
Justin and Hailey started out as friends, then reconnected in July 2018. Just months later they tied the knot at the New York City courthouse. Plans for a second larger wedding are now on hold.
While Justin’s mental health struggle is nothing new, his inner circle fear for his welfare. “I want people to know I’m human. I’m struggling to get through the days. I think a lot of people are,” he said.
Justin’s rise has been a spectacular one – he cut his teeth in music on Youtube and started singing for Usher when he was 13. Then at 16, he released his debut studio album and it went triple platinum.
A few years into super-stardom, the once clean-cut Biebs was coined a “bad boy” when he had a spate of run-ins with the law. He was arrested for DUI and resisting arrest, and had to pay a hefty fine and attend anger management for egging a neighbour’s home in 2014.
Justin says fame and the adoration of screaming girls was his downfall – it made him “very arrogant and cocky”. He also says he was relying on prescription drugs. “I did things I was so ashamed of, being super-promiscuous and stuff. My mum always said treat women with
respect. That was always in my head so I could never enjoy it. Drugs put a screen between me and what I was doing.”
‘He needs someone like Hailey in his life… she gives him stability’
Although he insists he’s now put the past behind him, sources say the star is still a work in progress. “He needs someone like Hailey in his life because she gives him stability, but rushing into their marriage has brought up issues too. It’s been a steep learning curve and for a couple so young, it’s stressful,” an insider tells Woman’s Day. “Justin has been through a lot but he’s determined to turn things around and be in a happier and better place than ever before.”