It says a lot about Anna Williamson’s infectious sense of positivity and hopefulness that she is able to see the bright side of having a mental breakdown. Not many people would look back on being plunged into depression in their twenties positively, but Williamson can see the silver lining.
‘It was only thanks to that time that I got hooked on therapy, and I found it so life changing that I wanted to train in it myself,’ she explains.
‘I’m a huge advocate of self-help, but I also wanted to help others, as I felt at the time – this was 15 or 16 years ago – that the mental health arena was pretty bleak. It wasn’t trendy on TV, like it is now. But trends change and, for me, it’s a happy accident that it’s become so talked-about.’
Managing to combine such a humble attitude with her joyful nature is surely what has kept her on our screens for the past 23 years, combining a girl-next-door warmth with genuine expertise. It’s certainly what won her the job on Celebs Go Dating, now in its 12th season.
‘Thanks to my breakdown, I ended up came up. Even when I went to be interviewed, I thought, “Oh gosh, there must be so many life coaches or therapists that are going for this job.”
