It's often easy to forget that celebrities are human beings, just like us. They have hopes and dreams, good days and bad days, and, of course, occasional health problems and misfortunes. But we don't usually get to see that - not through the lens of TV shows or social media feeds, anyway. We just assume that their lives are perfect and then move onto the next thing.
Sarah Hyland is working on changing that.
The Modern Family actress has spoken out before about the health issues she's encountered, and last year even posted a number of selfies showing the debilitating effects of the treatment she receives for her kidney problems.
More recently, she opened up to Ellen DeGeneres about the toll her illness has taken on her mental health, too.
"I have an amazing job, an amazing support system, but after 26, 27 years of just always being sick and being in chronic pain every single day, you don't know when you're going to have the next good day," she told the talk show host. "It's really, really hard."
Hyland has had health problems for pretty much her entire life, and has had six surgeries in the past couple of years alone - two of which were kidney transplants. She also has endometriosis, a chronic condition suffered by many women, and "a whole slew" of other illnesses.
At certain points in her life, she said, her poor health almost became too much for her to deal with.
Hyland confessed on The Ellen Show that she has been "very, very, very, very close" to attempting suicide in the past, and had even planned what she would say to the people she would be leaving behind. She admitted: "I would write letters in my head to loved ones of why I did it and my reasoning behind it, how it was nobody's fault and I didn't want to write it down on paper because I didn't want anyone to find it because that's how serious I was."
Eventually, the actress realised she needed help, and found the courage to speak to a therapist.
"Just saying it out loud helped immensely," she said, "because I kept it to myself for months and months at a time ... Talking to someone and saying it out loud really ... puts it into perspective."
Unfortunately, her fans haven't always been as understanding or supportive, and she recently had to make a statement on social media after so many people told her she needed to eat more.
"I’d like to address something that has not only been brought up on Twitter but has been heavily discussed by all of you in my Instagram comments. That something is my weight," she said.
"I normally don’t comment on things like this because it draws attention to those trying to spread negativity but I’m here to explain a few things and spread love. Here goes… I haven’t had the greatest year. Maybe one day I’ll talk about it but for now, I’d like my privacy. I will say this year has brought a lot of changes and with that, physical changes."
It's important to remember that celebrities are human, and they have stuff to deal with just like the rest of us. Hyland has done a brave thing by coming out about her physical and mental health problems, and, hopefully, what she's said will help others in her position - as well as those who have maybe spoken out against her without realising the true extent of her situation. Props to her for bucking the trend and proving that everybody struggles sometimes.
