Williams is not alone: indeed, it’s widespread knowledge that one in four people in the UK will engage in some sort of battle with their brain at least once during their lifetime. From anxiety to depression, and everything in between, the mind is a difficult beast to tame – and it seems society is finally becoming more accepting of this as a common truth. More people than ever are turning to the NHS for support: in fact, 1.4 million people were referred for talking therapies in 2015 and 2016.

And it’s not the first time the singer has spoken about suffering from depression. Last year, while guest-hosting on American chat show The Talk, Williams revealed that her depression started in her teens and continued into her 30s. Williams said she never fully understood what was wrong, thinking it was just “growing pains”.

“I’m in one of the top-selling female groups of all time, suffering with depression,” Williams said. “When I disclosed it to our manager [Beyoncé’s dad, Mathew Knowles] at the time, bless his heart, he was like, ‘You all just signed a multi-million dollar deal. You’re about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about?’”

“So I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’m just tired,’” she continued.

However, Williams’ depression only continued to get worse: “It got really, really bad… to the point of I was suicidal […]

“I was at that place where it got so dark and heavy because sometimes you feel like, ‘I’m the provider, I take care of people, I’m not supposed to be feeling this way – what do I do?’ I wanted out.”

Michelle Williams’ depression post signals a change in our approach to seeking help