MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin ‘grateful to be alive’ after battling depression

MasterChef’s Julie Goodwin has opened up about her battle with depression. 

After checking into a mental health facility for five weeks in February, the 49-year-old told 9Honey Celebrity on Tuesday she was very ‘grateful to be alive’.

She had sought professional health as her depression worsened, and after quitting her Star 104.5 breakfast radio show.

‘It was a very difficult decision to leave radio. It was a wonderful job with colleagues that I adored,’ she said of stepping away from show, Rabbit and Julie Goodwin.

‘But I had reached a point where I just could not continue with everything I was doing and the decision was made. It was more of a gradual erosion of the joy in life, the sense of energy and happiness that each day used to bring. I was just worn down. It became very clear that I couldn’t continue what I was doing.’

Julie admits she first felt ‘shame’ for checking into the mental health unit, and hopes that speaking out so publicly will inspire others to ‘go easier on themselves’. 

‘It’s shame that probably shouldn’t be there, making everything worse. What I hope is that, by sharing a part of my story, others may recognise the need to take stock, go easier on themselves, and reach out if they have hit that downhill slope,’ she said.

In February, Julie bravely revealed she had spent five weeks in a mental health unit after first stepping away from her radio show. 

‘Disappearing like this has created difficulty for a lot of people. I have essentially disappeared from my scheduled life, failed to meet my obligations, and I owe an explanation,’ she wrote in a heartfelt letter posted to her Facebook page.

The author revealed she’s struggled with depression and anxiety ‘on-and-off’ for years, saying she put a lot of effort into making sure it was not obvious to people.

‘I have never been one of those brave people who can lay these things out in the open for others to look at and comment on. But this time around the happy façade didn’t just slip a little bit, it fell off and smashed. And I find myself thinking, stuff privacy,’ she penned to fans.

In the Facebook post, Julie went on to explain that when she started her ‘Julie’s Place’ cooking school four years ago alongside taking up a breakfast radio show, her schedule became packed and she fought hard to stay on top of it.

As she struggled to balance her work commitments and home life, the mum-of-three was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and put on medication last year. 

The former MasterChef winner said around Christmas 2019 a ‘whole list of things went wrong’ and she ‘didn’t have the resources to deal with any of it.’ Several weeks later she checked into the mental health unit for five weeks.   

For confidential support in Australia contact LIFELINE on 13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au, or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.