Olivia Culpo shares emotional photos showing her battle with depression, personal struggles
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Model Olivia Culpo got candid in a lengthy and vulnerable post about her personal struggles with depression.
The 27-year-old former Miss Universe and model took to Instagram on Thursday where she poured her heart out over a series of two photos. The first being a recent snap of herself and the second from a time she claims she was in a low place in her life.
“Looking at the difference between these two photos today, and thought it was important to share something with all of you,” Culpo began her post. “2nd photo, a few months ago: I was depressed. I had no appetite, was drinking way too much, smoking, couldn’t sleep, and couldn’t eat. But I was still taking photos on social media and pretending everything was great.”
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She continued: “I was going through a difficult situation that left me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt and it had taken its toll physically. The feeling of despair is a relatable one, so I feel a responsibility to anyone else going through something difficult to say that it’s ok to not be ok.”
The star went on to explain that the first photo is from this week and she says she feels and looks different now that she’s taking care of her body and has her appetite back. Culpo noted the “highlight REEL” of Instagram and explained that fans should know what goes on behind-the-scenes.
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“I’m sharing this because 1. I want to emphasize what we already know: Instagram is everyone’s best version of themselves and their lives. It can trick us into thinking everything is perfect in other’s worlds. Which is NOT true. We are all more alike than we think, navigating life with similar ups and downs; good times and bad. We never really know what someone is going through, so it’s unfair to judge/compare,” she explained. “2. I hope this helps others who might be going through a hard time and feeling like they need to “have it all together.” Social media can create a crazy amount of pressure to live up to an idealistic standard of “perfection” (which obviously doesn’t exist!). Hard times happen and the most important part is putting one foot in front of the other, knowing the moment will pass, and being patient with yourself.”
The comments come months after Culpo’s ex, NFL player Danny Amendola, lashed out at the former Miss Universe on social media after she was seen cuddling with Russian-German DJ Zedd at Coachella.
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In the post, which has since been deleted, the 33-year-old slammed Culpo, 26, for her “fishbowl lifestyle,” explaining that he chooses to nail up picture frames of the people he loves the most inside his home to protect them from ridicule rather than post about them online.
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“Olivia chooses and wants to be noticed on the internet and in Hollywood to make money,” Amendola said, claiming her need for media attention was hard for him to understand because he plays ball "for one reason and that’s RESPECT.”
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Fox News' Jessica Sager contributed to this report.