Jesinta Franklin has spent the past 18 months developing her own app, simply titled: Jesinta Franklin, available now. Coinciding with the launch, the former beauty pageant winner from the Gold Coast is baring all on the cover of Women’s Health Australia – opening up for the first time about her health battles and the personal heartbreak she’s experienced due to mental illness. By shining a light on her own experiences the Olay ambassador hopes to break down the stigma around the condition.
“I know from firsthand experiences and seeing people close to me go through it, how much courage that takes, and how hard it is to say that,” she explains. Her husband Sydney Swans player Buddy Franklin spoke about seeking help following his battle with mental health three years ago.
Just weeks before the photo shoot, Jesinta’s aunt lost her life to suicide. “I can’t even put into words the feeling when I got the phone call – and even now it doesn’t seem real. It still is an awful time for our whole family,” Jesinta shares.
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“[My aunt] was someone I was close to, someone the whole family knew struggled. But the hard pill for all of us to swallow is that we never had that really deep conversation with her. So [if] I can talk more about [mental health issues], hopefully [it will compel] a person who reads this article who knows someone going through it to have a conversation with that person, or if they’re going through it themselves, they’ll feel compelled to have a conversation with someone they trust, and that saves a life.”
The thing with mental illness is that we often feel so alone in the battle. Whether it’s us going through it or we’re supporting someone else going through it. This is not something that people need to suffer in silence because, often, the person standing next to you is suffering [too]. I never want people to feel alone in this battle.”
For more with Jesinta pick up the August issue of Women’s Health, on sale now.
