MONTANA: ‘Racist trolls gave me bad anxiety’
Love Island star Montana Brown talks in support of our mental health campaign
Have you ever felt any anxiety in your life? After I left Love Island, I got really bad anxiety when I went out in public. I didn’t recognise it as I’d never experienced it before, but seeing Kem coming out about having anxiety – and Chris, Liv and Amber, too – it made me realise it’s OK to reach out for help. Did you ever feel embarrassed to admit you were struggling? I was brought up by my mum – my dad was never really in my life – so I think I’ve always tried to put on a brave face and pretend that I’m not stressed when I probably am. But as you grow older, you learn to except that it’s OK to be sad and it’s OK to be anxious. You accept those emotions, as they’re just part of being human. What’s the hardest battle you’ve fought emotionally? I lost my best friend, my aunt and my cousin all within the same month. It’s so hard to rationalise those emotions. I wish that I had been more aware of the help that I could have got at the time. Social media – good or bad? Social media is such an amazing platform for charities and to do good and make a difference, but I also know it can be used in the wrong way. I get trolled all the time, and get a lot of racism on Twitter and Instagram. When I first started getting messages, I did get scared because when you’re out, everyone knows who you are and you don’t know who’s out to hurt you. That was a real struggle for me and that’s where the anxiety came from. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? It was from Carol Vorderman! She said, “Don’t be anybody but yourself.” Have you ever been somewhere where you felt stressed or overwhelmed? At uni, I had a lecturer who didn’t like me . Everyone in our seminar noticed that she was picking on me and I felt really stressed about it. If there had been mental health first aiders, that would have helped me because it was overwhelming. This campaign could really change people’s lives.
‘I’ve always tried to put on a brave face’