'I wanted to kill myself' Former X Factor star Lucy Spraggan opens up about mental health battle

Her new music video addresses how fatal mental illness can be.

Lucy Spraggan is known for her talented performances on The X Factor in 2012, which got her through to the live finals.

But not many people know of the mental health battle she's faced, which the singer has now opened up about. In light of her new single, Lucy has spoken out about her mental health struggles over the last few years after being catapulted into the media.

In her new single, Dear You, Lucy uses her lyrics to talk about mental illness and show the seriousness of the possible consequences if someone fails to reach out for help.

The music video tells a tragic story, featuring This is England star Thomas Turgoose who plays an old friend supporting Lucy through her troubles. However, by the closing scene you realise that all along he has had troubles of his own, but felt unable to talk about them and eventually takes his own life.

Discussing the meaning behind this video Lucy said, 'It was kind of just honest. I knew in the end of the song they could end up meeting and having a great time, but that's not the reality of depression. The reality of it is if you don't reach out or seek help, it's fatal'.

Lucy's time in the spotlight has created some demons of her own. With online trolls posting harsh comments, their words have understandably taken some toll.

The only way the singer feels she can deal with this kind of attention is to be honest and true to herself, telling The Daily Star, 'I now care a bit less about what people say about me and I'd rather say exactly what I think, and make some other people think 'I feel like that too'.

At the worst of times, Lucy has even thought about committing suicide, she admitted 'I read comments when you talk about mental health, and there'll always be those trolls who are like "oh, sob story", and I'm like, 'No, I wanted to kill myself, it's not fun and games".'

Thankfully, Lucy is in a much better place now, having recently married her fiancé Georgina Gordon and continuing to release new music.

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