Gemma Collins says she feared being 'locked up forever' after self-harming as a teen

Gemma Collins has revealed she was scared of being “locked up” if people found out about her self-harming.

The TOWIE star also feared she was going to be placed in a mental asylum for the rest of her life – away from her family and friends.

Gemma, 41, has recently spoken out about her mental health struggles ahead of her new Channel 4 documentary – Gemma Collins: Self Harm and Me – which will explore her mental health battles.

Speaking to The Mirror, The GC said she felt like she couldn’t tell anyone about her self-harming issue because she felt like she would be isolated from her nearest and dearest.

She said: “So when I started self-harming I couldn’t tell anyone because I was thinking I’m going to get locked up, not going to see my family or friends and I’m going to be in a mental asylum my whole life.”

Gemma explained that she revealed her self-harming to her parents – who were left shocked by their teenage daughter.

She went on: “My parents were in the kitchen and I just walked in. I think I’d done it before, but it was a bit of a cry for help. I did it in front of them and they were just in shock.

“There was this silence and we never spoke about it again.”

The businesswoman also spoke candidly about being “picked on” at the time.

She said: “I can remember I was being picked on – just teenage girls stuff.

“Pressure would build up and that was the way that I would deal with it. I felt relief when I self-harmed. It was a coping mechanism for me if I felt stressed.

“But I just couldn’t talk about it. When you do it for the first time you don’t know why but you hope ‘I never do that again’ and you hope those feelings never come back that make me want to do it.”

Gemma confessed she used to wear long sleeves to school to hide her self-harming from her peers.

She would self harm every couple of months – adding that she would “cut myself” when she felt under pressure to feel “fine” again.

However, she admits the issue was “complex” and she never understood why she did it.

She said: “People don’t self-harm because they want to kill themselves. It’s really complex.

“When I was growing up you didn’t talk about your problems or aired your dirty laundry in public.”

The former Dancing on Ice star said she hasn’t cut herself in 10 years, but she has self-harmed in other ways, such as with her romantic partners or with food.

She explained: “You can self-harm in different ways”.

Gemma’s new documentary will air Wednesday 16 February at 9pm on Channel 4.

She says it’s the “best television” she’s ever made because she’s ‘herself’ and not the ‘GC’.

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk