Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards launches mental health campaign after her own battle with crippling anxiety

Perrie Edwards has teamed up with a mental health charity to launch a new campaign after opening up about her own struggles. The Little Mix singer, 29, took to Instagram on Friday to share the news with her 17.6 million followers.

The partnership with Better Help intends to make therapy accessible and break the stigma around mental health. Followers of the star have been given one month of free therapy.

Perrie penned: “I’ve found that opening up about my mental health has really helped me to better understand and take control of my anxiety. Therapy is something that I truly believe everyone can benefit from, but sadly it’s not always accessible. I’m so excited to announce my partnership with @betterhelp Together, we’re on a mission to make therapy accessible and to break the stigma around mental health.”

She continued: “This is an opportunity for YOU to give therapy a try by having access to one FREE month of therapy. You’ll be matched with a credentialed therapist, and at the end of the month, you will decide whether you would like to take it further. We’re giving away up to £3,000,000 worth of therapy to help you prioritise your mental health and start your journey towards healing.”

Perrie went on to say: “My heart leapt when I was offered the chance to partner up with @betterhelp to provide people with the opportunity to start their therapy journey and to just encourage people to ask for help.’I know that this is only the first step, but I hope that it helps as many of you as possible. Join us in spreading the word and making mental health a priority. Go to betterhelp.com/perrieedwards to get your free month started.”

The singer has previously been very open about her struggles with crippling anxiety, which left her “feeling like she would die” if she was left alone. Her anxiety became so bad that she was terrified of leaving the house and would suffer panic attacks in public. The star feared not being able to perform and to meet fans due to her condition.

In an interview with Glamour in 2019, she said: "Weirdly, when I first started experiencing panic attacks, I developed a fear of being on my own. It’s a lot better than it was. I kept thinking, ‘If I’m on my own and I have a panic attack, what do I do? It’s like battling with yourself – my mum got me dolls to paint, and I would sit there shaking when she left the house for two minutes… At first, I was like ‘don’t leave me on my own, I will literally die."