Andrea McLean has revealed that trying to perfect led to her breakdown.
The former Loose Women presenter, 51, suffered a nervous breakdown in 2019, and she thinks this was caused by her quest to be like a "Stepford Wife" and the perfect mum.
She said: "I tried to be the perfect daughter, the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the perfect employee, the perfect friend - and now I look back and I feel really sorry for me back then."
Andrea believes that too much pressure is placed on women to be "good girls", which she feels harmed her own mental health.
She added: "As women, we're raised to be really good girls: to say yes and smile and be lovely and make everyone else feel comfortable. And actually you're the one who's coming in last..."
Andrea continued, speaking to Platinum Magazine: "And then we're told we're selfish if we want to do something for ourselves. I call b******t on that now. [...] I was Little Miss Stepford - and it made me feel ill."
The TV star has been married to Nick Feeney since 2017.
She is mum to son Finlay, 20, with her ex-husband Nick Green, and daughter Amy, 14, with her second husband Steve Toms.
She announced back in November that she was leaving Loose Women.
When she shared the news live on air, Andrea admitted that suffering a breakdown had helped her make the decision.
She said: "Like so many people this has been a time to hugely reflect and think back. So many people have been talking about how they can't wait for life to get back to normal.
"I, like many people, did that and thought, 'Do I want my life to go back to the normal that it was before?'
"Obviously last year I had a nervous breakdown and what I felt is that this year collectively the world has had a breakdown.
"The experience that I had has meant that this year that I have actually been mentally really strong to deal with everything that the pandemic threw at all of us but it made me stop and think, 'What do I actually want?'"
She continued: "You get one life, are you living it the way that you want?
"And are you doing everything that you want to do? Are you being brave? Are you taking chances? And I realised, no."
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
