Tina O’Brien, 36, was born in Manchester and took the role of Sarah in Coronation Street in 1999. During her time on the show, Tina developed a relationship with her on-screen husband Jason Grimshaw, played by Ryan Thomas. The couple were together for six years and had a daughter together. After the birth of her first child, Tina began to develop some worrying symptoms.

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The actress revealed she had suffered from postnatal depression after the birth.

Tina shared with her 376,000 followers on Instagram the challenging time she endured and captioned the post: “#10yearchallenge wouldn’t be complete without my incredible 10 year old daughter.

“I wish I could tell the scared and fragile Tina of 10 years ago it’s going to be okay, you will get through this.

“I had very bad post natal depression even looking at the pic on the left reminds me how bad it was and that makes me so sad.

“I wish I’d had the confidence to ask for help.. Life felt pretty dark for a little while.

What is postnatal depression?

The NHS said: “Postnatal depression is a type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby.

“It’s a common problem, affecting more than one in every 10 women within a year of giving birth.

“It can also affect fathers and partners. It’s often called the ‘baby blues’ and is so common that it’s considered normal.”

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What are the symptoms?

The Mayo Clinic said: “Signs and symptoms of baby blues may include mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, feeling overwhelmed, crying, reduced concentration, appetite problems and trouble sleeping.

“Postpartum depression sings and symptoms may include depressed mood, excessive crying, difficulty bonding with your baby, withdrawing from family and friends, loss of appetite or eating much more than usual, inability to sleep or sleeping too much, hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness, restlessness, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby or recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.”

Fortunately Tina overcame the symptoms and said in the caption: “Luckily the dark days eventually lifted. I was then a single mum, times when absolutely no income was coming in.

“I’d be lying if I said it was easy. To some incredible highs, great opportunities and jobs have come along. I’ve met some wonderful people who are still in my life.

“All the while caring for, loving and watching my beautiful, kind little girl got in front of my eyes.”

The NHS advised: “It’s important to seek help as soon as possible if you think you might be depressed, as your symptoms could last months or get worse and have a significant impact on your, your baby and your family.

“With the right support, which can include self-help strategies and therapy, most woman make a full recovery.”

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or visit a local Samaritans branch.

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