‘I’m not me anymore’ Frank Bruno’s pregnant daughter Rachel opens up about suffering from prenatal depression

Frank Bruno's pregnant daughter Rachel has opened about how she suffered from prenatal depression and revealed how she turned to her father for help.

Rachel Bruno-Hardy, who's currently expecting her first child, said she turned to the former boxing champ, who has battled with his own mental health after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1998, for advice after confessing that she became 'hysterical' and 'shut off' after finding out she was pregnant.

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, the 31-year-old revealed that as soon as her pregnancy test came back positive, she was plagued with fears of miscarrying.

'As soon as I got my positive test it all suddenly changed, I was worrying about the risks of miscarriage and the negative, and staying in and hibernating away from people', she told Lorraine.

But it wasn't just fears of losing her baby that had Rachel worked up, as the personal trainer admitted she found it difficult to cope with gaining weight.

She added: 'I just kind of shut myself off from everyone and stayed at home. The weight gain happened quite soon for me and my hair fell out at the beginning… For me to not train, it really knocked me for six.

'All these changes happened all at once and I just couldn't cope with it.'

But after revealing her fears and worries to her dad, she said she reached a turning point in her pregnancy.

'I said to him "I'm not me anymore", I was just wearing the same clothes all the time. He said "Rachel stop being so hard on yourself".'

'After Christmas I just said "enough is enough", I couldn't go on for the next six months like this hysterical all the time,' she added.

Rachel married her childhood sweetheart, Bobby Hardy, in June 2017. The couple are expecting their first child together in July, which they announced at the end of last year with an adorable picture.

Rachel wrote at the time: 'We are soooooo excited to announce that bubba Bruno-Hardy is cooking nicely. Can’t wait for 2018. Had the best year ever.'

Her dad, boxing legend Frank, was sectioned three times under the Mental Health Act in 2003. He previously told The Express: 'Being sectioned, police coming down to my house and an ambulance taking me away.

'What was going through my mind was shame, all the neighbours know what you’re going through.'