With a new single about to drop, a solo album in the works and a starring role in a national tour of a Broadway musical, you’d be hard-pressed to tell that Michelle Williams once had difficulty just getting out of bed.
The singer-actress – one third of Destiny’s Child alongside Beyonce and Kelly Rowland – said that in the past few months she has emerged from years of suffering from moderate depression. Her dark cloud lifted thanks to exercise, therapy and positive thinking.
“I’ve dealt with depression,” the 32-year-old said during a break in rehearsals for a new touring production of “Fela!” that kicks off later this month. “I had to choose to get out of bed and do whatever I needed to do to be happy.”
Williams says she suffered her first bout of depression at 15 or 16 and has managed to avoid medication. She is speaking out for the first time about her battle to encourage others to seek help.
“We’re taught, `Just go to church and pray about it. The Lord is going to heal you.’ Well, in the meantime, I believe God-gifted people, physicians, doctors, therapists – that’s your healing. Take advantage of it,” she said. “Go see a professional so that they can assess you. It’s OK if you’re going through something. Depression is not OK, but it is OK to go get help.”
Williams on this day is bursting with energy, smiling and laughing, her body even leaner than normal as she dives into the frenetic biography of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who died in 1997.
In the rehearsal room, Williams bounces in her chair with the other cast members as the show’s hybrid of jazz and pop songs swells. Though she’s a Grammy Award winner, she easily hugs her fellow performers and wears sweat pants and a tank top. Where’s the diva? “Who has time for that?” she said. “That’s just dumb. I come from Rockford, Ill. – there’s no divas there.”
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article courtesy of TheHuffingtonPost.com
