Latest news with #LeiselJones
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Olympic legend Leisel Jones opens up about mental health struggles after sparking concern on social media
Leisel Jones has spoken candidly about her mental health struggles, after sparking concern with a recent Instagram post. Earlier this month, the broadcaster and Olympic gold medallist, 39, took to social media to share a worrying post, admitting she had thought about taking her own life. The post showed Leisel sitting on the stairs at her home with tears in her eyes, while admitting, in the caption, that she had just experienced one of her 'worst days'. 'I just wanted to die in my sleep, I thought that would be the greatest thing I could ever hope for in that moment,' Leisel told the Daily Telegraph. Leisel's post came with a second photo that showed her, the following day, having just completed a cathartic walk. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. She added that she was driven to share the candid post to highlight 'the difference a day can make'. 'I was like, you know what? I'm going to post this because yesterday was really garbage and I wanted to end all of it, but today, I've just had the best walk I've ever been on,' she said. 'I'm going to post this just to show the difference a day can make.' Leisel, who said she had 'high-functioning depression' in the post, added she was driven to talk openly about her struggles with depression, as it can affect even those who appear happy on the outside. 'I am really passionate about talking about it,' she said. 'With depression, it's not always sad sacks that mope about – it impacts some of the most high-functioning people who get the job done and do it well and show up on time.' Leisel's heartbreaking post began with the simple words: 'Stay until tomorrow'. 'It's one of my favourite sayings. Yesterday was one of my worst days and I wanted to end it all.' She continued: 'I think I have been battling high-functioning depression for a little while now and have just gone back to work with a psych. 'In the dark moments I promise myself to just stay until tomorrow, and it's amazing what the next day can bring.' Leisel then explained that after getting through the depressive episode, she had a much brighter day over the next 24 hours. 'Today was spectacular. I had some free time after work and went on an hour-long walk along the beach,' she said. 'No goals. No plans. Just enjoy the sunshine and the view. I was really missing my walking buddy @iammeagennay, but walking by myself was enough. It changed my whole perspective on things. 'So if life has felt like a kick in the c**t lately, promise me you'll stay until tomorrow.' The post was met with an outpouring of support from friends and followers such as comedian Dave Hughes. 'Australia loves you, but that doesn't matter. You loving life is all that matters. But not even that. Let's just be still,' he wrote. Fellow Olympic legend Lisa Curry also offered a sympathetic: 'I know how this feels, Leisel, and it's worth staying until tomorrow. And the next tomorrow…. And the next. Remember who the f*** you are.' It comes after Leisel broke down last month while opening up about the night, 14 years ago, when she almost took her own life. The swimming legend was a guest speaker at the Albury Wodonga Winter Solstice event, where she urged people to reach out for help if they need it. Leisel admitted she contemplated suicide in 2011 while she was on a training holiday in Spain. But her coach at the time, and current Head Coach of Swimming Australia, Rohan Taylor, interrupted her and took her to get the help she desperately needed. 'I did not care for my mental health whatsoever, because it was completely neglected and was not important, and even as a youngster, when I was coming up, I was told that we were not allowed to use psychologists, because psychologists were for weak athletes,' she said. 'So I was denied access to a psychologist as a 14-year-old girl who was going to her first Olympic Games. 'And that was devastating to me, because I really could have benefited talking about mental health, because I did not believe I was a weak athlete.
Sky News AU
12 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News AU
Champion Australian swimmer Leisel Jones opens up on moment she wanted to 'end it all' before important phrase saved her life
One of Australia's greatest swimmers has opened up on the moment she wanted to "end it all" and what helped her push through the dark thoughts. Last week, Leisel Jones posted on Instagram about the importance of the saying "stay until tomorrow" and how it helped pull her out of a dark hole. The 39-year-old said those three words had become one of her favourite sayings and that when she promised herself she would "stay until tomorrow" in the dark moments, she was able to get to the next day where perspective changed. "Yesterday was one of my worst days and I wanted to end it all. I think I have been battling high functioning depression for a little while now and have just gone back to work with a psych," she said in the social media post. "In the dark moments I promise myself to just stay until tomorrow and it's amazing what the next day can bring. Today was spectacular. I had some free time after work and went on an hour long walk along the beach. No goals. No plans. Just enjoy the sunshine and the view. I was really missing my walking buddy @iammeagennay but walking by myself was enough. "It changed my whole perspective on things.•So if life has felt like a kick in the c*nt lately, promise me you'll stay until tomorrow." Jones, who had a decorated career as a breaststroke swimmer, winning three gold medals for Australia at the Olympics, told The Courier Mail about the depths of her thoughts on that night where she sobbed on the stairs of her Gold Coast home. 'I just wanted to die in my sleep, I thought that would be the greatest thing I could ever hope for in that moment,' she told the Queensland masthead. '(I thought) I just want to end it all, I really do not want to be here tomorrow, I was like, please do not let me wake up. 'They're the thoughts that go round and round and around, they don't stop and it was just like 'please die, please die, please die', that's how serious it is, the thoughts get stuck. 'You're like, please just whatever you do, just take me tonight because I don't want to see tomorrow. Then you wake up and you're like, shit, my wish didn't come true.' But she said she realised that the following day could end up being the "greatest day of your life". She said nothing in particular sparked those emotions, but that it was a compounding of a lot of things. In November 2024, her afternoon radio show was axed on Triple M Brisbane, before she joined a breakfast radio show on Triple M Gold Coast, bringing a major change in her lifestyle, while she is also going through a divorce from husband of five years, Damon Martin, after the pair split in 2023. Jones also confirmed she is in a far better place than that moment a fortnight ago, and that she received a high volume of messages and calls from people offering love and support after seeing her Instagram post.
West Australian
14 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
Leisel Jones: Australian Olympic swimming champ in better place after dark day she wanted ‘to end it all'
Leisel Jones has given an update on her wellbeing, less than two weeks after revealing she had wanted to 'end it all' in a raw and vulnerable post on social media. The Australian Olympic swimming champion said since then she had been inundated with messages of support. 'I just wanted to die in my sleep, I thought that would be the greatest thing I could ever hope for in that moment,' she told the The Courier-Mail . Jones, 39, said on her darkest day she had gone to work usual as a co-host on Triple M Gold Coast breakfast with colleagues Liam Flanagan and Peter 'Spida' Everitt and was feeling ok. But when she got home things shifted. 'It was a compounding of a lot of things,' she said. 'I think there's a lot of work stress at the moment, I think global issues, all that sort of stuff, nothing in particular.' She spent hours sobbing as her thoughts fixated on wanting to die, but three powerful words had brought her back from the brink: Stay until tomorrow. 'I had said it before but it was really crucial in that time because I was feeling so low, I was like just stay until tomorrow because you just don't know what tomorrow looks like,' she said. 'You actually don't know if you're going to have the greatest day of your life tomorrow but if you take your life now you will never get it.' In a post on July 1, the three-time Olympic gold medal winner shared how those three words that kept her alive at her darkest time. Jones posted two photos, the first of her sitting on stairs with her tear-stained face in her hand, the second was of her in an elevator after an hour-long walk along the beach. 'Stay until tomorrow', she wrote, was one of her favourite sayings. 'Yesterday was one of my worst days and I wanted to end it all. I think I have been battling high functioning depression for a little while now and have just gone back to work with a psych. In the dark moments I promise myself to just stay until tomorrow and it's amazing what the next day can bring.' She revealed that just 24 hours later she had a far better day. 'Today was spectacular. I had some free time after work and went on an hour long walk along the beach. No goals. No plans. Just enjoy the sunshine and the view. I was really missing my walking buddy @iammeagennay but walking by myself was enough. It changed my whole perspective on things. 'So if life has felt like a kick in the c..t lately, promise me you'll stay until tomorrow.' Jones' candid words were praised by Lifeline Australia, which commented on her post to say that her revelation could help many others struggling with depression. In her first interview since then, Jones said she is now feeling happy and calm and was being well supported by family, friends and professional help. 'I don't make this my identity … I have these moments but I have so many other elements of my life that are part of me that are so important,' she told the Courier Mail. 'I am really passionate about talking about it … With depression, it's not always sad sacks that mope about, it impacts some of the most high functioning people who get the job done and do it well and show up on time. 'That's why I said 'high functioning depression' because I still turn up to work, I still do all my things, I still do it with a smile on my face and it's sometimes you just have no clue what someone is going through, they just keep doing it.' Jones has previously battled depression, which first emerged during the peak of her swimming career when she was in her early 20s. She was the first Australian swimmer to attend four Olympic Games, launching her spectacular career at just 15 at the Sydney Olympics and then going to the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she was part of the gold-medal winning women's 4x100m relay. She also won gold for the 100m breaststroke and the 4x100 medley relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and had a glittering career that included many other swimming achievements. Jones said her Instagram post about her close call went 'crazier than I ever expected'. 'Those beautiful messages of people that it's helped, but there were other people that wished they had that saying before,' she said. 'I really had no idea that story was going to impact people and to be so extreme that it might save someone's life. 'I'm not a spokesman, I don't want to be any of that, it's not my whole identity, but if I could save one person's life with three simple words, that means so much to me.' Lifeline: 13 11 14. If you or someone you know needs help, phone SANE Au stralia Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263).
Perth Now
14 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Leisel gives update after day she wanted ‘to end it all'
Researchers have found that consistent physical activity can reduce the risk of an early death by up to 40%. Even those who start exercising later in life can lower their mortality risk by 20 to 25%. 5 Leisel Jones has given an update on her wellbeing, less than two weeks after revealing she had wanted to 'end it all' in a raw and vulnerable post on social media. The Australian Olympic swimming champion said since then she had been inundated with messages of support. 'I just wanted to die in my sleep, I thought that would be the greatest thing I could ever hope for in that moment,' she told the The Courier-Mail. Jones, 39, said on her darkest day she had gone to work usual as a co-host on Triple M Gold Coast breakfast with colleagues Liam Flanagan and Peter 'Spida' Everitt and was feeling ok. But when she got home things shifted. 'It was a compounding of a lot of things,' she said. 'I think there's a lot of work stress at the moment, I think global issues, all that sort of stuff, nothing in particular.' She spent hours sobbing as her thoughts fixated on wanting to die, but three powerful words had brought her back from the brink: Stay until tomorrow. 'I had said it before but it was really crucial in that time because I was feeling so low, I was like just stay until tomorrow because you just don't know what tomorrow looks like,' she said. 'You actually don't know if you're going to have the greatest day of your life tomorrow but if you take your life now you will never get it.' Australian swimmer Leisel Jones has opened up about her battle with depression. Credit: Chris Hyde / Getty Images In a post on July 1, the three-time Olympic gold medal winner shared how those three words that kept her alive at her darkest time. Jones posted two photos, the first of her sitting on stairs with her tear-stained face in her hand, the second was of her in an elevator after an hour-long walk along the beach. 'Stay until tomorrow', she wrote, was one of her favourite sayings. 'Yesterday was one of my worst days and I wanted to end it all. I think I have been battling high functioning depression for a little while now and have just gone back to work with a psych. In the dark moments I promise myself to just stay until tomorrow and it's amazing what the next day can bring.' She revealed that just 24 hours later she had a far better day. 'Today was spectacular. I had some free time after work and went on an hour long walk along the beach. No goals. No plans. Just enjoy the sunshine and the view. I was really missing my walking buddy @iammeagennay but walking by myself was enough. It changed my whole perspective on things. 'So if life has felt like a kick in the c..t lately, promise me you'll stay until tomorrow.' Jones' candid words were praised by Lifeline Australia, which commented on her post to say that her revelation could help many others struggling with depression. In her first interview since then, Jones said she is now feeling happy and calm and was being well supported by family, friends and professional help. 'I don't make this my identity … I have these moments but I have so many other elements of my life that are part of me that are so important,' she told the Courier Mail. 'I am really passionate about talking about it … With depression, it's not always sad sacks that mope about, it impacts some of the most high functioning people who get the job done and do it well and show up on time. 'That's why I said 'high functioning depression' because I still turn up to work, I still do all my things, I still do it with a smile on my face and it's sometimes you just have no clue what someone is going through, they just keep doing it.' Jones has previously battled depression, which first emerged during the peak of her swimming career when she was in her early 20s. She was the first Australian swimmer to attend four Olympic Games, launching her spectacular career at just 15 at the Sydney Olympics and then going to the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she was part of the gold-medal winning women's 4x100m relay. She also won gold for the 100m breaststroke and the 4x100 medley relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and had a glittering career that included many other swimming achievements. Leisel Jones poses with the gold medal during the medal ceremony for the women's 100m breaststroke at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Credit: Julian Finney / Getty Images Jones said her Instagram post about her close call went 'crazier than I ever expected'. 'Those beautiful messages of people that it's helped, but there were other people that wished they had that saying before,' she said. 'I really had no idea that story was going to impact people and to be so extreme that it might save someone's life. 'I'm not a spokesman, I don't want to be any of that, it's not my whole identity, but if I could save one person's life with three simple words, that means so much to me.' Lifeline: 13 11 14. If you or someone you know needs help, phone SANE Au stralia Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263).
7NEWS
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Australian Olympic great Leisel Jones breaks down in emotional video: ‘Depths of hell'
Australian swimming champion Leisel Jones has thanked her supporters after publicly revealing 'she wanted to end it all'. The three-time Olympic gold medallist recently posted a photo of herself on social media — with tears streaming down her face — saying she was 'battling high-functioning depression' and had just gone back to work with a psychologist. She also revealed her favourite message to herself when 'the dark moments' arrived ... and that message is 'stay until tomorrow'. 'I promise myself to just stay until tomorrow and it's amazing what the next day can bring,' she said. Sporting greats, fellow Olympians, and TV celebrities all rallied around Jones, with wonderful messages of support. And Jones decided to address those people in a public video on Thursday, revealing she could not thank them personally due to an Instagram 'shadow-ban'. 'Just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who reached out to me about my latest post. It went a little bit crazier than expected,' Jones said in a self-filmed video. 'And just know that I have read all your messages, and when I go to comment back, I actually get shadow-banned because it looks like I'm spamming everyone, even though it's my own content. So I don't know why Instagram does that, but I try and write back, and it blocks me from doing that. 'But just know that I have read every single one of your messages. I cried every time I opened it, because everyone was so supportive and so lovely about it. 'And suicide is a real thing in our society, whether we like to admit it or not, and sometimes we just have really shitty days where you just feel like you don't want to do it anymore. 'So I wanted to be really honest about that, because on the Instagram my life looks like I have a whole lot of fun, which I do, but sometimes it's just not all roses. 'I think one of the biggest lessons that I took out of it is that my saying is really simple, 'Stay until tomorrow'. 'And I'm really glad and ... it is so heartwarming to see people who may have shared this with other people. 'It's a really nice, simple saying, and that's something that's really easy to remember, and it's just a good reminder to us when we're in the depths of hell and our brain is fighting against us and doesn't want to be here anymore, that sometimes staying until tomorrow is just the one step you can take today. 'And if that has helped you, I'm so glad that it can help you as well. And if you've been able to share that, I'm just super grateful. 'So of course, I'm getting teary because, yeah, this post, like, it's meant a lot. And just in terms of people reaching out and being so kind — to think I'm crying but there you go — it's been really appreciated so I thank you.' Jones has a history of mental health struggles and last month opened up about a dark chapter in her life 14 years ago. 'I'd really like to talk about the hope and the light at the end of the tunnel,' Jones said. 'And I distinctly remember sitting down with my psychologist after 2011 when I had contemplated taking my own life. 'I remember Lisa saying to me, she said there is light at the end of the tunnel. I was like, who bloody blew it out because I can't see it, and I just feel like it's never getting any closer, but extraordinarily it does. 'And that light will always be there, but you just have to find it, and sometimes you do have to light it yourself.'
