{"id":417994,"date":"2026-01-17T00:25:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T00:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/417994\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T00:25:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T00:25:24","slug":"frankie-bridge-opens-up-about-ongoing-health-anxiety-and-how-ketamine-therapy-helps-her-cope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/417994\/","title":{"rendered":"Frankie Bridge opens up about ongoing health anxiety \u2013 and how ketamine therapy helps her cope"},"content":{"rendered":"

Frankie Bridge, 37, uploaded a new YouTube vlog<\/a> earlier this week documenting her transition from 2025 into the New Year. In it, the former WH cover star spoke candidly about her ongoing health battles and anxieties surrounding them. After having a very tough year with illness in 2025 \u2013 \u2018probably the sickest I’ve been for years\u2019 \u2013 Frankie told viewers she was worried 2026 would be the same.<\/p>\n

\u2018I’ve had a bit of anxiety<\/a> because I’ve had this nausea since Boxing Day,\u2019 she said. \u2018This time last year, for 2025, I was like, “It’s going to be my healthiest year. I’m going to look after myself properly. I have lots of gut issues, I’ve got to really work on them, I’m going to eat healthily, work out.\u2019
<\/p>\n

However, despite doing those things, Frankie explained that things had not got to plan. \u2018I really did do all that, and then I was probably the sickest I’ve been for years for most of the year with my gut \u2013 like, loads of issues,\u2019 she added. \u2018I just had this, like, PTSD<\/a> almost when this year started of like, f***, I already feel like s***.\u2019<\/p>\n

New Year anxieties<\/p>\n

Frankie explained that she had become panicked that she was going to go into 2026, and be unwell again all year, referring to the two cases of gastroenteritis \u2013 a common condition that causes diarrhoea<\/a> and vomiting, typically caused by a bacterial or viral stomach bug \u2013 she experienced back to back last year. <\/p>\n

At the time, Frankie told her Instagram followers that the illness had \u2018completely wiped\u2019 her out, with her gut<\/a> and immunity suffering as a result.<\/p>\n

\u2018I can feel the low mood and depression just creeping in,\u2019 she added in her vlog about the New Year. Despite having almost 10 hours of sleep, Frankie said she still felt \u2018tired\u2019, \u2018gross\u2019, and \u2018off\u2019. \u2018I just don’t feel like I have that New Year, New Me vibe, which I know is only a temporary thing anyway \u2013 well for me, normally it is, it doesn’t really last, but I need it. I need that little kick up the butt. Today, I’ve sat around feeling sorry for myself, my mood has been really low.\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Related StoryAn ongoing battle<\/p>\n

Frankie has been very vocal about her ongoing struggles with anxiety and depression \u2013 and finding treatments that work for her. <\/p>\n

\u2018For as long as I can remember I had suffered from anxiety, nervousness, the big black cloud, stress, low moods, sadness,\u2019 she wrote in her book, OPEN: Why asking for help can save your life. \u2018I lived with it in silence and tried to conquer it alone\u2026 In my late teens and early 20s I\u2019d had medical help of various kinds (in the six months before I was hospitalised, I\u2019d seen two therapists and tried three different antidepressants – Prozac, venlafaxine and sertraline – but nothing had worked for long.\u2019<\/p>\n

When she was 21, Frankie chose to check into an in-patient psychiatric hospital, which \u2018made me realise I wasn\u2019t alone. I wasn\u2019t sectioned. I chose to go and stayed a month. Soon, a massive weight lifted. I was 21, my band the Saturdays was mega-successful, but I was hiding everything. It was refreshing to be in an environment where everybody had similar problems. We spoke about medication, trauma, panic attacks. Nothing was off the table. There was no shame,\u2019 she previously told The Guardian<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Ketamine therapy<\/p>\n

Since then, Frankie has discussed finding a treatment breakthrough in the form of ketamine therapy (which uses low, carefully controlled doses of ketamine combined with psychological support or therapy), following the discovery that she had ‘treatment-resistant depression’, which the NHS says<\/a> \u2018is a term used to describe people who continue to experience symptoms of depression even though they are currently being treated with antidepressant medication.\u2019<\/p>\n

Appearing on Loose Women, Frankie previously explained that she had had \u2018tests done and my body isn’t able to create serotonin or to keep it. So even if I’m taking antidepressants, it’s almost counterproductive.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I’ve taken myself off of antidepressants before and the side effects of coming off these things are brutal. I spent two weeks in bed, I felt awful,\u2019 she added.<\/p>\n

In October, speaking in another vlog<\/a>, Frankie explained how she had found some solace in ketamine therapy, which is used \u2018off-label\u2019 in some specialist NHS settings. \u2018Obviously my mental health is always a work in progress and I’m always trying to find new ways of just making it better basically. And quite a few years ago now, I started ketamine treatment,\u2019 she said. <\/p>\n

\u2018As someone who’s never taken a drug before, it was terrifying. I’ve never had that feeling of completely letting go, I think I’ve realised control is a big thing for me, and that is fully out of control \u2013 like I don’t even like being really drunk.<\/p>\n

\u2018And so I started it a few years ago and that was quite a big deal for me. It’s just the only thing that really helps me long term.’<\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

However, she also expressed her annoyance that it\u2019s not currently widely available. \u2018For me, it’s quite life-changing, but it’s not readily available and it’s really f***ing expensive. It annoys me because it could help so many people,\u2019 she said. ‘Some people have it and they never need to have it again, or they don’t need to take antidepressants, just so many positive effects from it.’<\/p>\n

In terms of her recent New Year struggles, re-establishing a routine has also helped Frankie, as she ended her recent YouTube video \u2018feeling a little bit more like herself\u2019. However, it\u2019s a reminder that progress is rarely linear and that there is help out there for those who need it. <\/p>\n

You can find a catalogue of mental health resources on the NHS website<\/a> and Samaritans<\/a> are available 24\/7 on 116 123 (free number from any UK mobile).<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. \u00a0She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. \u00a0A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Frankie Bridge, 37, uploaded a new YouTube vlog earlier this week documenting her transition from 2025 into the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417995,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[520,64,63,4830,150464,137,514,515],"class_list":{"0":"post-417994","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-anxiety","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-depression","12":"tag-frankie-bridge","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-mental-health","15":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}