Australian fitness sensations Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw have candidly revealed their battle with mental health, ahead of an event they’re hosting that supports suicide prevention charity, R U OK?
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday, the girls revealed that just like everyone else, they’ve certainly dealt with their fair share of low points and hard times in life.
Steph, 26, also bravely spoke about seeing a psychologist earlier this year, saying she hopes to talk about her experience to help ‘break down the stigma.’
Speaking out: On Thursday, Australian fitness sensations Steph Claire Smith (left) and Laura Henshaw (right) candidly revealed their battle with mental health in an interview with Daily Mail Australia
Steph and Laura, who are the stunners behind the Keep it Cleaner online wellness program, are hosting the KIC Virtual 5km event on Sunday.
Participants can either walk, run or cycle 5km and KIC will donate $50 per head to R U OK?
Steph admitted that lately she’s been dealing with stress from her job and previously dealt with body image issues.
Candid: Steph admitted that lately she’s been dealing with stress from her job and previously dealt with body image issues. The stunner also admitted to seeing a psychologist in recent weeks
‘Both Laura and I think it’s really important to be honest with that and really want to break down the stigma around mental health and make it a much more normal conversation,’ Steph said.
‘It’s important people understand on Instagram, you don’t see someone’s full life,’ she said.
‘Outside of body image issues and struggles in that regard that I had in the past, lately it’s been much more about stress… I’ve struggled with managing that stress and the feelings and emotions around it,’ she said.
Steph has also been open with her 1.5 million Instagram followers and their KIC community about seeing a psychologist in recent weeks.
She said she wants to be open about her own struggles to help ‘normalise’ mental health.
‘If you’re struggling, reach out to someone’: She said she wants to be open about her own struggles to help ‘normalise’ mental health
‘I’d been meaning to see a psychologist for a while to be honest, but I think I had the same fear as everyone has, I wasn’t really sure what I would say when I went there and wasn’t sure how it would go,’ she said, saying she went to a psychologist twice at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘I found it incredibly helpful… and I had all these personal realisations by just talking to someone about it.’
‘And as much as you can talk to your friends and family about it and they can support and love you through it and that means the world, it’s really important if you’re struggling with something to reach out to someone for the extra help and guidance.’
She added: ‘We spend money on so many other appointments and so many priorities, we need to prioritise our mental health.’
Refreshingly honest: ‘I found it incredibly helpful… and I had all these personal realisations by just talking to someone about it,’ Steph said
Past struggles: Laura, 27, also candidly revealed that she struggled at the start of their modelling careers when they were just 19
‘It made me realise I’d be open to go back when I need to,’ she said.
Laura, 27, also candidly revealed that she struggled at the start of their modelling careers when they were just 19.
‘Something that brought us together and made our friendship really strong was the struggle that we went through and it was almost the catalyst to starting KIC,’ Laura said.
Empowering: We were 19 or 20, on social media and modelling overseas, the pressure on the international market was really insane,’ she said. She then reminded fans that someone’s worth isn’t based on their looks or weight
‘We were 19 or 20, on social media and modelling overseas, the pressure on the international market was really insane,’ she said.
‘I was exercising for hours a day and hardly eating anything… that was a really hard time in my life as I thought my worth was fully in line with what I looked like.’
She also shared an inspiring message to fans, saying: ‘We are so much more than our weight. Our weight is not our worth. That’s where KIC came from.’
The KIC Virtual 5km will be held on Sunday with money going to the charity, R U OK?
If you or anyone you know is struggling, please contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue.
A good cause: Steph and Laura, who are the stunners behind the Keep it Cleaner online wellness program, are hosting the KIC Virtual 5km event on Sunday