Nadia Sawalha believes she feels a sense of ‘survivor’s guilt’, having overcome struggles with her mental health in the past.
The Loose Women star, 55, also feels the current lockdown imposed upon the nation – and much of the world – amid the COVID-19 crisis has caused this ‘guilt’ to be heightened, because she’s so used to ‘quarantining’ with her family.
Speaking to MailOnline exclusively following the special from-home edition of Loose Women last week, the actress reflected: ‘It was very emotional to be back on the air. In fact I spent so much time yesterday on and off with tear. And I’m not a crier.
Strong-willed: Nadia Sawalha believes she feels a sense of ‘survivor’s guilt’, having overcome struggles with her mental health in the past
‘In recovery they talk about getting your feelings back – and it’s the best and worst thing!
‘I feel like that with all of this that’s going on, I’ve been sadder, happier, I’ve laughed like never before, and then I’ve found myself welling up. And that’s because of the comments we’ve received about being back on the air, even if for that one episode.
‘I think on Loose Women we tap into the pulse of how people are feeling. It’s very validating for us and for them.’
Nadia admits that seeing her co-stars on screen – Christine Lampard, Brenda Edwards and Stacey Solomon – made her ‘so emotional and desperate for the show to get back on the air’, after it was put on halt amid the global health crisis.
Family: Nadia is married to husband Mark and shares two children with him – daughters Maddie, 17, and Kiki, 12
Speaking to MailOnline exclusively following the special from-home edition of Loose Women last week, the actress reflected: ‘It was very emotional to be back on the air. In fact I spent so much time yesterday on and off with tear. And I’m not a crier!’
‘We need it on TV because, understandably, there is so much news. We are all gagging to talk about it but instead of on TV we have to just do it on our Loose Women WhatsApp group,’ she said.
Nadia is married to husband Mark and shares two children with him – daughters Maddie, 17, and Kiki, 12.
The girls are home-schooled, meaning that the lockdown has not proven as tough for Nadia’s household as it has others.
‘I guess I feel blessed that’s it’s not been that different for us really,’ the ex-EastEnders star went on. ‘I’ve sort of realised that my real life is quarantine anyway.
Emotional: Nadia admits that seeing her co-stars on screen – Christine Lampard, Brenda Edwards and Stacey Solomon – made her ‘so emotional and desperate for the show to get back on the air’, after it was put on halt amid the global health crisis
‘My life is a quarantine anyway!’ The girls are home-schooled, meaning that the lockdown has not proven as tough for Nadia’s household as it has others
‘I hate routine more than anything else in the world – and so we haven’t had a routine ripped away form us. We are used to spending loads of time with each other.
‘This sometimes gives me a sense of survivor’s guilt though. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I feel really s**t. Most of the time I feel positive, I exercise, I make three meals a day – I love to cook and ask Mark and the kids what they want, I’ll do them each a different thing!
‘But, like at the weekend I felt down – and it’s okay to feel down.’
Nadia explained that her worries stem from the situation the world will find itself in going forward, rather than the current circumstances.
‘It’s not about lockdown – I worry for my children. I can do lockdown, but you start to think of the future after this. What is it?
YouTubers! Nadia’s family have also grouped together to star in their own YouTube channel – which ‘all started being a movie review channel as a bit of fun’ but morphed into ‘a patchwork of all the things we love as a family’
Nadia said: ‘I hate routine more than anything else in the world – and so we haven’t had a routine ripped away form us. We are used to spending loads of time with each other’
‘When I ponder on the tough answers I can get overwhelmed with it. That’s why I limit the amount of news I watch. I don’t do the scroll of terror!’
Nadia’s family have also grouped together to star in their own YouTube channel – which ‘all started being a movie review channel as a bit of fun’ but morphed into ‘a patchwork of all the things we love as a family’.
With nearly 100k subscribers, Nadia explained: ‘It’s not about business, or money. We are advocates of mental health so we make honest mental health films and we do TV reviews and film reviews.
‘I love my job so much on Loose Women but this is about being a bit more silly and playful. And my kids have learned how to debate through it. How to think critically. We’ve really put our heart and soul into it!’