Carey Mulligan says returning to work helped heal postnatal depression

Carey Mulligan has revealed she suffered from postnatal depression following the birth of her first child in 2015.

The actor, who stars in an upcoming film about the work of two journalists that exposed sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, She Said, said that going back to work at the time was a “light” in her path to healing.

Mulligan married Mumford & Sons lead Marcus Mumford in 2012. The couple have two children; a daughter named Evelyn, seven, and a son named Wilfred, five.

The mother of two opened up about experiencing postnatal depression following the birth of Evelyn in a new interview with Variety. This type of depression, which occurs in parents after having a baby, is characterised by constant sadness, a lack of energy and difficulty in bonding with your newborn baby.

After giving birth to Evelyn, Mulligan found that returning to work to promote her film, Suffragette, helped her heal from depression.

“It was either cancel the whole thing or just get on and do it. And that – and a combination of lots of other things, and help and support from everyone around me – was my light,” Mulligan said.

Mulligan said this experience also helped her bond with New York Times journalist Megan Twohey, whom she portrays in She Said.

Twohey had just given birth around the time of the Weinstein investigation, and her struggle with postnatal depression is documented in the film.

“Megan and I talked about that, and we both shared what we had both been through, like so many women have been through,” Mulligan said.

Twohey praised Mulligan for her openness around the subject, and said the actor had approached the portrayal with sensitivity and care.

“I felt like she really spent a lot of time with me, and studied me and my family in a way in which she was able to not just portray a sense of me, but to portray this really personal and even difficult time in my life, in a very accurate and respectful way,” Twohey said.