Former EastEnders actress Luisa Bradshaw-White has opened up about her struggle with a serious mental illness, revealing she 'nearly didn't survive' and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The 48-year-old, who played Tina Carter on the BBC soap, shared her experience in an Instagram post on March 5, describing her battle with 'really bad Bipolar and an extreme eating disorder'. She said quitting acting helped her find 'her space in the world'.
In her post, Bradshaw-White wrote: 'I have very big feelings. I used to be an actor, so I had a place to put those big feelings, but it didn't feel like where I was supposed to be. I also tried to suppress those big feelings, and that led to a serious mental illness, psychiatric hospitals and something I nearly didn't survive.' She added that she now uses her emotions to 'create musical journeys for free form dance and Breathwork ceremonies'.
The actress, who also appeared in Grange Hill, The Bill, Birds of a Feather and Holby City, joined EastEnders in 2013 as Tina Carter. Her character was killed off in 2020 by Gray Atkins after discovering he had murdered his wife. Bradshaw-White has been candid about her mental health with followers, previously admitting she 'cries every day' and drawing parallels between her current feelings and her initial bipolar diagnosis.
Fans have rallied around the star, with one commenting: 'I can relate to this so much. I feel everything so much more intensely than anyone I know. It's extremely overwhelming but I feel like it's our power.' Another wrote: 'I love your big feelings. I cannot imagine my life without you and your craft in it now.'
Bradshaw-White expressed gratitude for finding a community through her dance and breathwork events, saying: 'My favourite thing about my life now is that I have found people like me who want to come and dance and breathe to feel all this too.'
