An important part of shattering the stigma around mental health lies in normalising the way that we talk about it.

And actor Keeley Hawes has done exactly that today, throwing in a passing reference to her depression between discussion of her work on hit TV series Bodyguard and The Durrells.

“It’s something that never goes away,” Hawes tells the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine, of her struggle with the condition.

“I think it’s in your DNA if you suffer with it… I have become better equipped at looking after myself. I’ve tried various things over the years.”

As one of the most familiar faces on British TV, tackling a full multitude of roles, Hawes says that working helps when it comes to managing her depression.

“Keeping busy helps, being forced to carry on, because inevitably it will pass,” she says.

Depression has a parallel relationship with anxiety, something Hawes also has experience of – especially when it comes to analysing her own behaviour.

“It’s a very human thing, isn’t it, to worry about what you say and how you are perceived,” she says.

Actor Keeley Hawes discusses her struggle with depression