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A devastated widower has spoken out about his wife’s depression and weight-loss journey – and how it was never enough to make her happy.
Gareth Burndred (37) from Newcastle, England, and his daughter, Jess (14), suffered a terrible loss after his wife Kelly (also 37) took her life after a long battle with mental illness, reports Mirror.
The grieving husband has set up a support group in his wife’s name to raise awareness of mental health and suicide.
In 2015 Kelly underwent a gastric bypass hoping to find happiness as she’d been fixated on her weight since she was a girl.
Despite losing around 127 kg and reaching her goal of having a slim body, Kelly, who attempted to take her own life twice but failed, was still insecure and unhappy, reports Stoke-on-Trent live.
Heartbroken Gareth found his wife's lifeless body hanging on April 28.
"Kelly had suffered most of her life. On the outside she was very bubbly and confident and had loads of friends but inside she was struggling," Gareth said.
"After our daughter was born she had crippling post-natal depression but she overcame it, or so we thought.
“We hoped after the gastric bypass Kelly would find the happiness she craved. But her depression got much worse. She had blamed all her problems, all her life, on her weight. So when she became thin, and she wasn’t happy, she felt like there was nowhere else to turn.
“I want to stress how important it is to speak out. I just hope that Kelly’s story, and the support group, will help to save another life.”
The Burndreds met at a nightclub on New Year's Eve in 2001.
“We were two opposites, and yet we just clicked. I was quiet and shy, and Kelly was loud, bubbly and chatty," Gareth says.
“As I got to know her better, I realised that Kelly’s confidence was just a front. Deep down, she was very insecure and unhappy with the way she looked.”
Two years later when Kelly fell pregnant the couple were overjoyed. However, their happiness was short-lived as Kelly started showing signs of post-natal depression.
“Kelly loved being a mum, but she showed signs straightaway of post-natal depression. She didn’t want to leave the house and she became very withdrawn and anxious,” Gareth explained.
“I tried to support Kelly, but I felt she was pushing me away. Our relationship suffered and we went through a really bad patch.
“But in time the depression eased and we became closer again.”
In 2008 Kelly popped the big question and she graduated in 2015 in forensic science. After undergoing her gastric bypass Gareth noticed the change in his wife.
“After the weight loss Kelly changed mentally as well as physically. I really felt as though she was two people and I knew she felt the same.”
Sources: The Mirror, Stoke on Trent live, Just Giving.com
