Olivia Culpo getting candid about her mental health, opening up about her battle with depression amid a "difficult" situation that affected her mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
The 27-year-old model and 2012 Miss Universe winner weathered a split from NFL star Danny Amendola last fall after dating him on and off for three years. She broke up with him he was photographed getting cozy with CBS sports reporter Bianca Peters in Miami. The breakup was also messy; Amendola later took to Instagram to air his grievances about Culpo and also made a crass comment about their past sex life.
On Thursday, she posted two photos of herself, one taken recently and one taken earlier this year.
"2nd photo, a few months ago: I was depressed," Culpo wrote. "I had no appetite, was drinking way too much, smoking, couldn't sleep, and couldn't eat. But I was still taking photos on social media and pretending everything was great. I was going through a difficult situation that left me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt and it had taken its toll physically. The feeling of despair is a relatable one, so I feel a responsibility to anyone else going through something difficult to say that it's ok to not be ok."
"1st photo is from the other day, and I am looking healthier," she said. "I have my appetite back and am treating my body correctly. We're all too familiar with the 'highlight REEL' of Instagram so I wanted to get REAL and tell you it's not always as amazing as it seems."
Culpo did not name Amendola in her post.
She said she shared the photos to "emphasize what we already know: Instagram is everyone's best version of themselves and their lives."
"It can trick us into thinking everything is perfect in other's worlds," she wrote. "Which is NOT true. We are all more alike than we think, navigating life with similar ups and downs; good times and bad. We never really know what someone is going through, so it's unfair to judge/compare."
Culpo said she also hopes that her post will help "others who might be going through a hard time and feeling like they need to 'have it all together.'"
"Social media can create a crazy amount of pressure to live up to an idealistic standard of 'perfection' (which obviously doesn't exist!)," she wrote. "Hard times happen and the most important part is putting one foot in front of the other, knowing the moment will pass, and being patient with yourself. No filter is going to take away from the normal ups and downs of life that we all have. Our imperfections/hardships make us all perfectly relatable, taking this journey through life together. I think the more we understand how connected that makes all of us, the easier and more rewarding this life journey can be. Love you guys!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️"
Since her breakup from Amendola, Culpo has moved on with a new man; she was recently spotted vacationing with NFL star Christian McCaffrey in Mexico.