Christian Celebrities Who Struggle With Mental Health And How Faith Helped Save Them

Here are several Christian celebrities who struggle with mental health. And these stars are not just opening up about their struggles, but how faith helped save them!

9 Christian Celebrities Who Struggle With Mental Health

We admire shiny celebrities from afar and think their lives must be perfect. Joanna Gaines, Dolly Parton, Jim Carey, Lauren Daigle, and Josh Groban are common household names. We know them for their trademark style, music, or talent. 

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We see them in the spotlight as we sit in the darkness of our living rooms while the darkness of depression and anxiety gnaw on the inside. It tells us we can’t take off the mask of ‘everything is fine’ because we can’t bear the shame of being broken. 

The tide about mental health is slowly changing. It used to be taboo, a tragic secret. But because of voices like these Christian celebrities, society is beginning to attribute mental health the same as a physical ailment like diabetes or a broken leg.

It’s okay to not be okay. And it’s okay to take the mask off to seek help.

One of the ways Christian celebrities are shedding their masks is through sharing their struggles with mental health, and also the role their faith played in saving them. They share how Jesus fills the cracks and the darkness and makes them whole. 

Their openness and vulnerability gave me permission to be open about my own mental health journey with others. More often than not, my tattoo of the word ‘redeemed’ beckons strangers for the story behind the permanent ink. It’s become a prayer that my story will save someone else from the shrouded vehicle of darkness.

1) Joanna Gaines

Celebrity Joanna Gaines is one inspirational person who opened up about her life behind the scenes. She shared that she felt different most of her life because of her heritage until God reminded her she was a beautiful child of God. Her journey from a fuzzy-haired kid to a daughter of God is marked by faith.

Read more about Joanna Gaines' battle with anxiety HERE

2) Lauren Daigle

Lauren Daigle hid her anxiety and depression because of the deep shame she felt. Her life was on a pedestal, and while she sang to the masses about God’s goodness, she was too embarrassed to get help until God began healing her through music. She writes, "Well, I know someone who loves me beyond my wildest imagination, beyond my wildest dreams. And He has a love that's so rich for me, that He's actually looking out for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And he can see the things that I can't see."

Read more about Lauren Daigle's journey with anxiety, OCD, and ADHD HERE

3) Dolly Parton

For some, mental health is a life-and-death battle. It was for Dolly Parton. On the verge of committing suicide, God rescued her. Now, a day doesn’t go by where she doesn’t talk to God. She said, “A belief in God is essential.”

Read more about how Dolly Partons's faith saved her from suicidal depression HERE

4) Danny Gokey

Danny Gokey mirrors Dolly’s views. He shares how a friend rescued him from suicide. “As a person who's struggled with anxiety and depression myself more times than I want to admit, this year's been a year of reckoning with that. This is an issue I've stuffed down. It was 10 years ago that someone pulled me out of it after I lost my first spouse." Danny shared.

Read more about Danny Gokey's struggle with depression HERE

5) Josh Groban

Josh Groban is vocal about faith, therapy, and his angel in disguise, his dog Sweeney. His four-legged mate encourages Josh to get outside and enjoy the wonders of God’s creation. Because of God’s strength, Josh shared, “It's exceedingly lonely. Everybody always sees the smiles, the Instagram... People don't see the demons that you have..." Sweeney actually saved Josh’s life from gun violence. It’s something he still has anxiety about and he’s thankful for God’s protection. 

Read more about how Josh Groban combats anxiety HERE

6) Jim Carrey

While it’s hard to see the bright side, some people can see the beauty in the darkness. Jim Carrey believes suffering has a way of leading us to the ultimate source of help. “Ultimately, I believe that suffering leads to salvation. In fact, it’s the only way…that we have to, somehow, accept, not deny, but feel our suffering and feel our losses,” he said.

Read more about how depression led Jim Carrey to salvation HERE

7) LeAnn Rimes

Because of celebrities like LeAnn Rimes, others are seeking help for their mental health and shedding shame in the process. She shared, “At first I didn't want to face my pain, because I thought I would get lost in it…but I didn't. People are so ashamed to talk about it and ask for help. But taking away the shame is so important."

Read more about LeAnn Rimes and her struggles with anxiety and depression HERE

8) Carson Daly

Carson Daly said it wasn’t until a friend encouraged him to get help for his anxiety that his life was about to change. He shares how faith and music have been foundational in changing the way he views mental health.

Read more about celebrity Carson Daly's struggle with mental health HERE

9) Don Knotts

The ability to open up and share is what helped Don Knotts grapple with depression. Though he was the funny man on camera, it wasn't all laughs in his personal life. A hard upbringing left him wrestling with depression and how to raise his own children without making the same mistakes.

Don often shared his struggles with his daughter, Karen. And it created a special bond between the two.

Read more about Don Knott's close relationship with his daughter HERE

Hope From Celebrities Who Struggle With Mental Health

We may never reach celebrity status, but we can be transparent. We can follow suit and take off our masks because it’s our vulnerability that connects us all. It’s time we take off the mask, wrap God’s love around us and seek help. May these stories give us the permission we need to comprehend that we are made whole in God’s hands. 

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“Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails.  Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.  Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life,” Psalms 143:7-8.

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Featured Image Credit: Facebook Joanna Gaines/ Carson Daly/ Dolly Parton

Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.