By Meghna Amin
Copyright belfastlive
Nadia Sawalha had to apologise just moments into Thursday’s Loose Women on 25 September, as she became “overwhelmed” while discussing her partner Mark’s mental health struggles. The conversation followed Wayne Rooney’s recent revelation about how his wife, Coleen, supported him through his battles with alcohol and saved his life, prompting the panellists to discuss their own experiences of supporting their partners. Nadia revealed: “Mark does have mental health issues, and I support him through that from a position of, ‘I’m so lucky, I don’t go through it’. “So when he’s low it can be very hard, but it’s not as hard as what he’s going through. “I’ll support him, I’ll help him see pinholes of light when it’s very dark, and… sorry, I don’t know why I just got overwhelmed there,” reports the Express . Regaining her composure, she continued: “I just have so much empathy and sympathy for people that struggle with addiction and mental health. “It’s not an easy swipe this way or that.” She went on to say that she’s co-dependent with Mark, explaining that after meeting him, it took some time to recognise his struggles with addiction. “I’d already seen his heart and his soul and his beautiful brain and all those things. “If you say it’s managing or rescuing, there was no choice because I was already there with who he was.” Nadia has previously opened up about Mark’s battle with depression. Speaking to Hello! in 2022, she said: “We’ve been married for almost twenty years, and I would say it’s only really in the last few years that I’ve fully understood what living with depression means. “I will be honest, a couple of decades ago I was from the school of thought that said: ‘Think positively and cheer up’. Why wouldn’t I have been? I had never had a conversation, read a book or ‘knowingly’ met anyone with depression.” She continued: “In sickness and in health is one of my favourite vows and I take it very seriously. Knowing I can ease some of his pain by just being constant and kind is a privilege. Don’t get me wrong it’s incredibly tough at times for me but never as tough as it is for him.” The couple tied the knot in 2002 and are parents to two daughters. Loose Women broadcasts weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
