Davina McCall has admitted she was plagued by ‘morbid’ thoughts when she became a mother for the first time.
The TV presenter, 50, said on This Morning that following the birth of her daughter Holly, now 16, she worried they would die in a car crash.
During a conversation about post-partum depression on ITV’s This Morning, Davina said she tried not to dwell on her dark thoughts as she thought it was ‘normal’ for new mums.
But Siobhan Freegard, the businesswoman behind the parenting advice forum Netmums, said women should seek help if their own thoughts take a similarly dark turn, after it was revealed that nearly half of new mums find themselves in the grip of irrational fear.
Davina McCall, 50, said she had ‘morbid thoughts’ after the birth of her first child Holly, now 16
Davina said she found herself terrified that harm would come to her baby when she became a mum for the first time.
She admitted: ‘After I had a baby, and particularly with my first, [I had] morbid thoughts.’
The mother-of-three recalled moments while driving when she thought her family were ‘all going to die’ in a car crash.
However, she said she didn’t consider the possibility of post-partum depression, because she assumed that all new mothers felt the same way.
Siobhan Freegard, the businesswoman who created Netmums, encouraged other women to visit their GP if they couldn’t cope with having extreme thoughts
Parenting blogger Jem Armistead experienced dark thoughts when her daughter Livvy, four, was born
She continued: ‘I used to have that all the time but I just thought it was normal.’
Freegard, told her ‘well done’ for believing it was normal, but encouraged other women to visit their GPs if the thoughts became too much to bear.
Also on the show was parenting blogger Jem Armistead, who experienced dark thoughts when her daughter Livvy, four, was born.
Jem said she became so worried the bus they took every day would drive off a cliff, killing her daughter, she eventually went to the doctor to confront the issue.
Newly single: Davina announced her separation from her husband Matthew Robertson in November last year after 17 years of marriage
Mum-of-three: The couple had three children Holly, Tilly 14, and 11-year-old son Chester, together, and have vowed not to speak about the split for their sake.
Davina announced her separation from her husband Matthew Robertson in November last year after 17 years of marriage.
They have three children Holly, Tilly 14, and 11-year-old son Chester, together, and have vowed not to speak about the split for their sake.
Davina said in a statement: ‘I am very sad to say that Matthew and I have separated.
‘Our amazing children are our number one priority above everything else, so therefore we ask for as much space and respect from the media as possible while our family goes through this difficult time.’