Former Holby star Chizzy Akudolu has opened up about her battle with depression, revealing she suffered a "massive low" after she was voted off in the first week of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing last year.

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Speaking on Loose Women (March 20th), Akudolu said: “I do suffer from depression. I’m not ashamed to say that at all. It’s not something I asked for. It’s something I’m dealing with, I’m still on anti-depressants. I have therapy. I had quite a bit of therapy after Strictly. I just want to say that the show did offer me a therapist, I said, ‘No I’ll be fine, it’s just a show, just a show’. I did hit a massive low with my depression after Strictly.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIB7qq9Jgx4&list=PLbs-Pk9dtKb84HiD-8weRUepHryKQgqon

https://twitter.com/chizzyakudolu/status/827113035454091264

When asked if her Strictly exit contributed to the illness, Akudolu said: “There was a bit of embarrassment and there’s all these plans you have in your head of future dances. And I’ve wanted to do the show for so long, and to get to do it, and I was getting fitter, and then for it suddenly just to be taken away, it was crushing. It was my birthday the following Saturday. Who gets to dance on Strictly on their birthday? Well, not me!”

https://twitter.com/bbcstrictly/status/914568701533474817

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Akudolu appeared in the contest alongside dance partner Pasha Kovalev and exited in the series’ first elimination after a dance-off with TV presenter Brian Conley. Many viewers disagreed with the judges’ decision, however, with a RadioTimes.com poll revealing over 80% of readers thought they had got it wrong.

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Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

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An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

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Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

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