Lena Headey, who we know best as Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones , has made the brave admission she suffered from postpartum depression while filming the hit HBO series.
Lena revealed her struggle in a candid interview, conducted by her young co-star Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) for Net-A-Porter’s The Edit.
Like many women, Lena had no idea she was suffering from the condition:
“[Filming was] really horrendous – I was postnatally depressed but I didn’t know it. I saw a doctor for the medical check, and I just burst into tears.”
“She said I was postnatally depressed and I went, ‘Am I? Why is that?’”
Luckily, Lena got help immediately.
“I saw a great guy and he sorted me out,” she reveals. “But I did the first year [on Game of Thrones] in that space, figuring out motherhood and going through a weird time personally. It was tricky.”
Lena has a son, Wylie, 7, with her ex-husband Peter Loughran, and a 23-month-old daughter, Teddy, with her filmmaker fiancé, Dan Cadan.
Hilariously, she has Cersei-like protectiveness when it comes to her daughter.
“I know my son is going to enjoy his time sleeping with girls – well, I know he is – but then I thought of my daughter and had an instinctive reaction: ‘No! No one’s touching you!’ My mum’s like, welcome to the world of children,” she laughs.
Speaking to her young interviewer Maisie Williams, Lena was full of praise.
“I’ll always love you, Maisie, because you’ve just remained. You guys [Game of Thrones’ younger cast members] have all handled it brilliantly. I just think it’s great; you’ve grown up with this, and you’ve remained delightful.”
We think Lena is pretty delightful herself!
If you’re struggling and need someone to talk to, contact Lifeline lifeline.org.au on 1311 14 or visit Headspace at headspace.org.au. Visit Beyond Blue at beyondblue.org.au or call 1300 22 4636.
Source: The Edit
