‘I Feel Less Depressed Or Anxious Than I Have For Years’: Tanya Hennessy Tearfully Opens Up In Camp
Initially, Tanya Hennessy thought being away from her phone would be one of the hardest parts of heading into camp.
Speaking to Miguel Maestre about their shared chosen charity, R U OK?, Tanya admitted that her time on ‘I’m A Celebrity’ had made her feel “less depressed or anxious” than she had for years.
“I’ve heard this before, they say connection is the best way for people to not feel alone and it stops those really dark thoughts,” she said, adding, “it’s sort of like connection is the key and the phone is actually super detrimental.”
Later admitting she thought she would hate the experience, Tanya reflected on how her time in camp had given her the opportunity to really connect with the other celebs.
“I didn’t even realise how much I wasn’t even connecting with people because of my phone,” she said before bursting into tears.
Before heading into the jungle Tanya spoke to 10 daily about not feeling like she was represented in the media, which is why -- after seeing Lena Dunham’s HBO series ‘Girls’ -- she became inspired to add her voice to the mix.
Releasing her videos on social media, Tanya earned millions of views across YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
“When people see themselves they feel less alone, that’s another reason normal people should be represented in the media,” she said.
Tanya told 10 daily, “Hopefully people won’t make a life or death decision based on the fact that they feel like they don’t fit in or they are misunderstood.”
Adding that back in the real world she used her phone and TV to “numb” herself to the outside world, Tanya thought she would struggle without those comforts.
Back in camp, while speaking to Miguel, Tanya had a bit of an epiphany that, away from her phone -- which has been central to her livelihood, she was beginning to see the power of meaningful connections.
“When you talk to people and engage with people and talk about your feelings, that’s when those thoughts inside your head don’t magnify and you make a decision that’s really potentially the end,” she told Miguel.
“I don’t know,” she added, “I feel like I just learned something.”
