EAST LANCASHIRE social media star, Antonella Brollini, has announced her return to social media in a candid video about her mental health and binge eating struggles.
The Haslingden woman, who is known for her comical product reviews, posted an update video to her ‘Antonella The Uncensored Reviewer’ YouTube channel at the weekend.
In the video, which is part of her ‘Sunday Service’ series on the channel, she opened up to her 85,0000 subscribers about her mental health struggles and why she has not uploaded a video in over a month.
She said: “I kind of lost my sparkle a bit, the fire in my belly and my motivation. I didn’t really understand what was going on but my mental health took a bit of a dip.”
Antonella said her mental health issues and “self-destructive” path began in 2019 and even impacted her pantomime work.
'Aunty Nelly' said: “It was a real struggle to do panto at Christmas because I wasn’t well. I haven’t been myself and haven’t really been me.”
Antonella, who once had her own product testing segment on ITV’s This Morning, also spoke candidly about her binge eating disorder which she has been struggling with recently.
She said: “I was in recovery for my eating disorder… I fell off the wagon and started binge eating to cope with problems I was having.
“Luckily, with the support of professionals, I am back in therapy and hopefully will once again be able to say that I am back in recovery.
“At the moment I am not but I am taking it day by day.”
She said there have been days where she “hasn’t wanted to face anybody”.
She said: “I tried to detoxify my life and [remove] people around me that didn’t bring happiness.
“Unless anyone is actually bringing happiness and peace to my table I don’t want them.
“This is just a snapshot of what’s being going on it’s been an absolute nightmare.”
Antonella is well-known for her product testing videos, some of which have gone viral in the last five years.
She said: “There have been a lot of very testing and trying times behind closed doors.
“I love doing my reviews and started it thinking I would love to review products but only if I can tell a funny story and make somebody laugh.
“Because of everything that has been occurring I haven’t had many funny stories to tell. I hate watching my videos back because I hate the sound of my own voice.
“But I am back now and I have lots of funny stories to tell and things that have been happening.”
Despite the hard times, Antonella said she is proud of the progress she has made so far.
She said: “It’s been tough and I am not saying I am all better but what I am saying is I’ve been here before and got up before.
“If I have to have this conversation another 30 times, that is okay. I am proud for each and every time that I keep getting up.
“It’s not about being knocked down it is about how many times you pick yourself back up.
“If you have any struggles please reach out to me. I have reached out to so many people and I think it helps when you talk to people.”
If you are struggling with your own mental health there are services, helplines and advice over on the NHS website.
If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now
If you need help urgently for your mental health, but it's not an emergency, get help from NHS 111 online or call 111.
Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You will not be wasting anyone's time.
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