Braveheart child star Mhairi Calvey opens up about depression

Braveheart star Mhairi Calvey spent a decade battling depression after years of bullying over her childhood fame. Calvey was only six years old when she appeared opposite Mel Gibson in the 1995 historical epic and she has revealed her big break cost her personally as other kids at school picked on her because of the movie.
She tells Britain’s Daily Record newspaper, “During that time, I was bullied a lot and had various issues there… When they (the other kids) found out about Braveheart it led to a lot of bullying and even jealousy from the acting tutors. They tried to make sure I didn’t act. I wasn’t allowed in any of the school plays. It was a real battle. They used to tell me, ‘You can never be an actor’. I used to think, ‘No I’m going to be an actor’. It made me more determined.”
Calvey was diagnosed with depression at 15 and spent a decade battling the condition, and last year (13) she went into another downward spiral after suffering a series of personal setbacks including a terrifying health scare.
She adds, “A relationship ended, I lost my home and lost a lot of money, everything came crumbling down. My physical health wasn’t good. I had ovary problems and operations.”
Calvey later found out she is unable to have children, and she credits her therapist with helping her through the difficult time.
She has since set up a charity campaign to support others in a similar situation, and relaunched her acting career. She will next be seen on the big screen in sci-fi thriller Abduct with William B. Davis and Sienna Guillory.