X Factor winner Louisa Johnson has detailed her battle with depression, panic attacks and PTSD which left her contemplating suicide after winning the talent show in 2015.
The singer, 23, who was just 17 when she won the talent show, said she found herself in ‘a dark place’ and ‘fed up’ as she battled to cope with her newfound fame.
The star also criticised the ITV show, which was axed earlier this year – and claimed it ‘provided no support’ for contestants’ mental health as they shot to fame.
Battle: X Factor winner Louisa Johnson has detailed her battle with depression, panic attacks and PTSD which left her contemplating suicide after winning the talent show in 2015 (pictured)
Louisa said she had been forced to enter rehab when she considered suicide as she marked her 23rd birthday in January. She spent two months in rehab being treated for trauma, depression and anxiety,
She told The Sun: ‘I woke up and just didn’t want to be here any more. I was so fed up, I was done. I wanted someone to shake me. The unhappiness was like an annoying gnat that wouldn’t go away — it kept nagging at me, bugging me.
‘I thought about taking my own life. But it was an idea rather than, ‘This is it, I’m doing it’.
The star added that she has a ‘ball of fire’ within her and knew she would never take her own life, but that didn’t her stop her thinking about it.
Brave: The singer, 23, who won the talent show aged 17, said she found herself in ‘a dark place’ and ‘fed up’ as she battled to cope with her newfound fame (pictured before entering rehab)
Louisa doesn’t believe the show is the only reason for her mental health issues but said professional support would have been welcomed.
She said: ‘We had no support from the show for our mental health and no one sat me down and talked to me about what life would be like.’
Louisa added that she wouldn’t change anything about her time on the show and while it would have been ‘great’ to have therapy, she believes she wouldn’t have taken up the offer because she ‘wasn’t ready.’
MailOnline has contacted representatives for ITV and Syco for comment.
The star said she became ‘really depressed’ after winning the show in December 2015 as she struggled to adjust to normal life after her win.
She became ‘disassociated and numb’ and unable to care about anything, before starting to experience panic attacks.
Louisa parted ways with X Factor mogul Simon Cowell’s Syco label in 2018. Louisa debuted in the charts with her pop track Forever Young in 2015, which managed to chart at number nine in the charts on Christmas Eve.
Rise to fame: She said: ‘We had no support from the show for our mental health and no one sat me down and talked to me about what life would be like’ (pictured on the show with Olly Murs, Caroline Flack and Rita Ora)
She reached number five in the UK charts with dance hit Tears in 2016 which was a collaboration with Clean Bandit and by far her most successful track.
In 2019 she began having therapy and was diagnosed with trauma. due to ‘ a series of events’ that happened over her lifetime.
In 2021, the star, who had been seeing a therapist for six months, said she felt ‘mentally drained and lost’ which is when rehab was suggested to her.
Louisa says the experience was the most ‘life-changing, eye-opening, painful, liberating experience’ and that she now has tools to cope with issues when they arise.
Back in July it was revealed The X Factor had been axed after 17 years,
Brave: Last month the star revealed that she went into rehab earlier this year
The decision to axe the show came hot on the heels of former contestants hitting out against the British music industry for ‘exploiting’ and treating them like ‘cattle’ since their overnight rise to fame.
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Katie Waissel, earlier this year, claimed she was sexually assaulted by somebody on the X Factor team, years after appearing on the show while Jedward have been open in their criticism of the show and its treatment of stars.
Discussing her alleged assault, Katie said the incident happened in the US when she met the person to talk about recording work, and said if she could change the past, she would never have appeared on the singing contest.
A spokesperson for Syco Entertainment said at the time: ‘We were made aware via the media of Katie’s claims in Autumn 2017 and we immediately contacted her and began an investigation.
‘We were naturally shocked at the allegations and wanted to do anything we could to help – so we asked her to lodge a complaint with us and detail the allegations for that purpose. In the interim we suspended the accused.
‘Despite a number of requests to Katie asking her to detail the claims to us, she chose not to make a complaint over his behaviour. As a result, and without other evidence to the contrary, we were obliged to accept his denial of the claims.
Life-changing: In 2021, the star, who had been seeing a therapist for six months, said she felt ‘mentally drained and lost’ which is when rehab was suggested to her
‘We, of course, remain ready and keen to investigate her claims if she so chooses to detail them to us and even though the alleged perpetrator no longer works for either Syco or Sony Music.’
2010 X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson, 35, has called for an urgent parliamentary inquiry to help protect young and emerging artists and an independent tribunal to hold those responsible for poor treatment within the industry to account.
Her fellow contestant Cher Lloyd, 27, and double act Jedward, both 29, who appeared on the show the previous year, have also hit out at the industry and claimed they were also poorly treated.
Following on from Katie and Jedward’s messages, Jack Remmington, who was a wildcard act in 2017 with his pal Joel Fisher, also took to Twitter to share a sarcastic message about his time on the show and Simon’s behaviour.
He penned: ‘So sad The X Factor has officially ended. Had such a wonderful & supportive journey on that show…
Backlash: Former X Factor stars including Jedward and Katie Waissel (pictured) have publicly criticised the show
‘My favourite moment was when Simon, my mentor, told us when we were kicked out the live shows that ‘it was such a shame as he was just starting to like us’. Such a nice man xx…
‘This was literally whilst the cameras were rolling as well, Dermot was still rounding off the show and Si dropped that bomb on us whilst we were still standing on stage so just had to smile and laugh like he’d told some shite joke haahah…
‘Just to reiterate – we had been at our audition, bootcamp, judges’ houses and weeks of live shows, spanning months over the year under his ‘mentorship’. To then be told this as our journey ended’.
While around the world the format is still successful, it seems Simon has accepted in the UK ‘it has become slightly stale’ and so has reportedly decided to ‘shelve it’ for five years, but sources are claiming it’s now ‘unlikely’ to ever return.
A show insider told The Sun: ‘Globally, it is still a phenomenon and rakes in millions every year. But in the UK, there is no question it has become slightly stale.
‘Simon remains at the top of his game and knows how to make a hit. He owns the rights to the show, and it’s his call — not ITV’s — whether or not he drops it.
Surprise success: Hot on the heels of the news the show had been axed in July, the Irish twins, who shot to fame on the show in 2008, penned: ‘Xfactor has been axed Mission Complete’,
‘Clearly the last thing he wants is for X Factor to fizzle out with a whimper and become a bit of a joke — especially in contrast to the show in its pomp.’
The source explained there is the option for Simon to return the talent show in 2023, which would see auditions take place next summer, however the entrepreneur is thought to be focused on his new game show Walk The Line.
MailOnline has contacted Fremantle for comment. An ITV spokseperson told MailOnline: ‘There are no current plans for the next series of The X Factor at this stage.’
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
What!? In July it was reported that Simon Cowell , 61, had pulled the plug on the ITV talent show – which launched in 2004 and last aired in 2018 – because he doesn’t want the programme to ‘become a bit of a joke’ (Simon Cowell, 61, Pictured in 2017)
Source: Daily Mail
