About
Hello! I know what you’re thinking – who?!
Well, in a nutcase, I’ve been a secretary, a model, a tv and radio presenter and an author. I’m also a mother, a single parent of two, and a rubbish cook. I’ve been on the top, at the bottom, and everything in between.
I live in Brighton, East Sussex and I love my life.
Don’t believe everything you read in the papers, why not decide for yourself? xx
Annabel Giles 
Hi Annabel.. just found your blog.. I sent you email to your official site but it came back.. This is Kevin from Beach House Cafe Brighton.. if you can send your email please I can resend.. Great news about Ted’s school & book deal.. As you say Into the Light.. Wishing you Very Happy New Year… Kevin
It should be working now, Kevin, try again!
Hi Annabel
I just found your blog, and would like to say I am rooting for you. You are a talented writer and woman. I hope you find an avenue which rewards you in every way (in terms of fulfilment, finances etc) for your skills and talents. I wish you all the very best, Caroline x
Hi Annabel. Now, about your excellent depressed blog! Hugely relieved to read, and feeling very un-depressed from reading it. What’s the opposite for depressed? Repressed? No….Anyway, thought I’d ‘share back’. I’ve just summoned the courage to Appeal against an HMRC ruling that I “could and should” have got my 2008-09 tax return done inside their given period of time. And since I didn’t, I can’t have my £5000 overpayment for the year before back. No, I don’t resent them at all! Thing is, following my big crash and burn in November 09, I woke up to the reality of many years untreated depression, and a nasty dose of alcoholism too. Result, utterly unable to engage in any normal way with outside world for the next 2 years, and only hesitantly so over the following 2 more years. So, I wrote “my technical inspector” at HMRC telling him what it actually feels like to be living on the “edge of fear” as you put it, and asked him to swap places with me before he decides to forever confiscate £5000 of my own dose. As I wrote the letter, it made me feel like I was writing something very personal, slightly cathartic, almost as an exorcism. On reflection, and after reading your re-pressing blog, it occurred to me that I must surely have a wider audience for my depress-alogue than Mr James, Technical Inspector, HMRC? What do you say to that! Graeme xx
Thank you for your depression blog – very insightful. I suffered depression since my teens and so much of what you wrote was very much what I felt, except that most of the time I didn’t think that suicide would have been selfish – I though it would have been a relief to those around me to not have my misery bringing them down. I did worry about leaving my children with the misconception that I couldn’t cope – and thought that the solution there was to take them with me.
I believe I am now ‘cured’ which is a thing I’d thought for many, many, agonizing, hopeless years, didn’t exist – at least not for me. For what it’s worth, and aware that you don’t want suggestions, Neuro-linguistic Processing (NLP). Maybe, when this passes, because you know it won’t last forever, you can use it to prevent depression from returning.
I wish you all the best of health, and once again, thank you for making a difference with your blog. So much appreciated. x x
Hey Annabel I saw you on the Chase the other evening, plus I’m a celeb the other year – how cool are you!
Just read your depression blog.
Great to know I’m not alone with my depression.
Too often articles about depression and depressive illness are written by experts who believe they know how it feels.
Your blog tells it just as it is from your experience and whilst I am sure most who suffer from it will suffer in different ways there will be commonality and most importantly it shows others they are not alone in what they are going through.
When I first suffered 20+ years ago! Dr told me to pull myself together and I thought no one else had the same problems, it was only when I started talking about it that I became aware of many others who were keeping it “secret” including a very good friend who was a “captain of industry” but hadn’t said anything to anyone for years, just suffered in silence.
Thank you for writing it with such clarity, the more people understand the easier it becomes for everyone who suffers.
Googling depression because I’ve been unable to get out of bed for two days. Doesn’t seem any point. Your writing helped a little.
Please don’t give up, Stephen. This will not last for ever, it’s just for now. Go with it, accept it, and be aware of any changes, good and bad. Tell someone how you feel. Rest, little bit of exercise, medication, culling of unhelpful people and activities, look after yourself as you would a sick friend. All will be well. Lots of love xx