Former Air Farce star shares mental health story

Comedian and entertainer Jessica Holmes filled the room in Tribute Tower as she mixed in plenty of comedy while sharing her story of struggling with depression. Photo by Ryan Melanson, Trident Newspaper

Ryan Melanson, Trident Newspaper ~

Jessica Holmes says she’s always wanted to perform her brand of high-energy comedy in front of a Canadian Armed Forces audience.

When she finally got that chance on Jan. 29, she was able to bring not just her comedic talents, but also a story of mental health struggles.

Holmes, known best for her five-year run on the CBC sketch show Royal Canadian Air Farce, visited CFB Halifax on Bell Let’s Talk Day, as one of the celebrity ambassadors tied to the annual day. It focuses on raising money for mental health initiatives and reducing societal stigmas that surround mental health problems and diagnoses.

She spoke to a packed room of Defence Team members at Mr. Mac’s in Tribute Tower, where she opened with musical numbers and a medley of her well-known characters and impersonations from TV, before diving into her years-long battle with depression.

“I felt like I was buried in cement, like a cartoon elephant was standing on my chest and wouldn’t get off. That’s how debilitating it was for a time, when I wasn’t able to get out of bed,” Holmes said.

Her struggles began with postpartum depression after the birth of her two children, and though she recovered with help from her doctor, she described a dark cloud that came back over her years later.

Her second bout with depression lasted more than two years, impacted her ability to work, and put a strain on her marriage, she said.

It took help from medical professionals, trying multiple different strategies, and getting support from her family to eventually break through. Now that she is in remission, she’s sharing her story in hopes of helping people and keeping others from facing some of the same challenges she did.

“I had to face a lot of prejudice. I have friends to this day that still don’t believe in depression. They couldn’t understand how this could happen while my life looked so good on paper,” she said.

Holmes added that her familiarity with the Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign helped her become more comfortable with her own diagnosis, and eventually led to her joining up with the organization as an ambassador.