Celebrities took sides Wednesday in response to British actor Beverley Callard's controversial comments cautioning them against making mental illness appear "fashionable."
The Coronation Street star, who has openly discussed her own depression, expressed her fear in a conversation with Best Magazine that celebrities could make mental health issues trendy by speaking out about them. Callard said they must be careful not to glamorize the topic, an opinion that drew a swift response on social media from celebrities including Piers Morgan and Sophie Turner.
"Real mental illness is very dark, and it takes a great deal of strength to ask for help," Callard said. "I think we are now definitely chipping away at the stigma. But we have to be careful mental illness doesn't become like a Gucci handbag." She added that "there is a danger it can become 'fashionable.'"
British talk show host Piers Morgan supported Callard's statements. He responded to an article on the comments, written by The Sun, on Twitter. "She'll be hammered for saying this, but it's 100% true," he wrote.
Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner disagreed. She argued that it's vital for celebrities to discuss mental illness to reduce the stigma associated with it. "Or maybe they have a platform to speak out about it and help get rid of the stigma of mental illness which affects 1 in 4 people in UK per year," she tweeted at The Sun's post. "But please go ahead and shun them back into silence. T***."
Comments on Turner's response largely supported her view. "Ugh. People who think there is no problem is the problem," said Twitter user @DrunaRawr. "No one WANTS a mental health issue, but those who suffer absolutely do not want others to feel isolated. The mental health system in the US is a JOKE!! Thank you for being our voice @SophieT !!"
Callard spoke with Best Magazine about how depression forced her to take two months off from her role on Coronation Street. She is now an ambassador for the mental health charity Mind, which on its website cites the statistic Turner mentioned: Approximately one in four people in the United Kingdom experience a mental health problem each year.
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