Nobuhle Mahlasela

“I have to go back to that little girl that got hurt and heal her. I’m happy I decided to fight this. I’m not an expert but I’m learning and I’m on a journey of healing”

“I’ve been fighting depression and anxiety all my life by 'managing' and 'controlling' it, by simply blocking traumatic experiences I’ve encountered since I was a young girl. I attempted suicide twice in my life because I just did not want to be here and feel this pain any more”

“It was an anxiety attack, but this time I was not letting it get to me. I picked up the phone called my sister and a close friend to let them know that I’m not OK, and that simple act of calling someone was me fighting”

“I woke up one day last week and I couldn’t take it any more! I was overwhelmed with traumatic incidents I encountered and all the thoughts in my head the last couple of months. I cried so much I couldn’t breathe and I had a severe headache throughout this episode”

“Obviously people are always recognising me and I am often stopped by fans but half the time I forget about the fame and go about my life as Nobuhle. It is never in my head. I just react to fans in the moment. I go with the flow”

“The thing is we all go through such things, and you think you are the only one going through it. There are so many people going through stuff and the more we talk about it, the better”

“This week was emotionally hard on me. From sitting on the floor in the shower naked, crying my lungs out because I felt I made bad choices in my life, that I’m not good enough, to doubting myself and basically tearing myself apart from all angles.”

“Choose happiness”

“Sometimes, I tell my mom that she should have written me little notes on what to expect at certain points in my life. I was just contemplating life and my personal journey”

“Remember, body positivity is not just about big girls, it’s about different shapes and sizes of our bodies and how to love ourselves best”

“Because I am an actress, I know how to debrief, leave the character and move on with my life”

“I am proud of me, because Afrikaans is my third language and working on an Afrikaans show for the past 18 years has been nothing but amazing and challenging, as I had to make sure that I put in the work, and I do not drop the ball”

“It was therefore important for me to show that Aggie has grown from this facet of her life to that one. I have used the technique of bringing in different new answers and attending classes with my acting coach”

“To be able to keep a character interesting every day requires a lot of new answers that you must incorporate now and then because we evolve as humans”