‘I was caged for six years’ — Anna Ebiere recounts battle with depression

Anna Ebiere, an actress and former beauty queen, has recounted her six-year battle with depression and suicide.

The 25-year-old took to her Instastory on Monday to narrate how she was depressed for years while regretting the decisions she had made over time.

She also revealed how she got pregnant and dropped out of school at the age of 20.

“For almost six years now, I’ve had sad birthday experiences. It was pretty frustrating but I advised to always wear a smile to cover up the pain and sadness. Fake it till you make it smile was my hashtag,” the ex-beauty queen wrote.

“I had to make a personal decision to make myself happy by myself. And it feels so good. My birthday this year is a huge reminder of how I’ve been able to pull through. I felt like I’ve been caged for almost six years of my life.

“Honestly, no one sees the silent pain and struggles we all go through. All we get are likes and comments from people who like you. admire you or even hate you. And yes we post beautiful pictures just to feel good sometimes.

“We don’t have it all figured out. I was suicidal at some point in my life. I never knew what depression was until I experienced it. It wasn’t pretty at all. I was ashamed of my body and some decisions I made. I lost self-confidence.”

Ebiere noted that she started to pull through after she made a personal decision to be unconditionally happy.

“I lost myself; screamed silently for help. No one but God heard me. I had a beautiful baby girl at 20. Unmarried, young, and a school dropout. Five years later, I’m a graduate. I thought of quitting school many times,” she added.

“Trust me, I didn’t care anymore. It was too much to handle. Mentally, I was frustrated. At some point, my daughter couldn’t recognise me. She called her grandma mummy instead. I was shattered.

“These are not half of the silent struggles but, guess what, I came out stronger and wiser. You might be going through worse but I can confidently tell you that you’ll be fine! Just don’t give up.”

In November 2020, Ebiere bagged a bachelor’s degree in Rural Development and Ecotourism at a Ghanaian varsity.

Named the ‘Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria’ by Isabella Ayuk, MBGN Queen, in 2013, Ebiere represented Nigeria at that year’s Miss World pageant. She was appointed special assistant on culture and tourism to Seriake Dickson.