Sarah Ferguson reflects on childhood trauma, tabloid abuse, and healing journey

Sarah Ferguson has shared a powerful personal update with her followers, revealing she recently spent time at a Swiss mental health and addiction clinic as part of her healing journey. 

In an emotional Instagram post and a candid Telegraph interview, the Duchess opened up about the mental toll of public scrutiny, past trauma, and her recent double cancer diagnoses.

“Mental health touches us all, it has no boundaries,” she wrote. “We need to promote open conversations about mental health and how we can improve access to mental healthcare across society.”

Sarah revealed she spent time at Paracelsus Recovery in Zurich, a clinic known for its tailored and discreet care for individuals facing complex mental health or addiction challenges. 

The Duchess of York, 64, said the visit offered her not just understanding, but hope.

“What I found was not only a centre of clinical excellence, but a place of deep humanity,” she wrote. “Conversations with Dr. Thilo Beck and Jan Gerber, the clinic’s founder, were illuminating.”

“If you or someone you know is struggling, I encourage you to seek help. You are not alone, and there is no shame in taking the steps towards healing,” she wrote.

In her interview with The Telegraph, Sarah revealed that the stress of her public life, combined with decades of tabloid ridicule and traumatic life experiences, led her to seek serious mental health treatment.

Sarah has long been a target of brutal press coverage, especially during her marriage to Prince Andrew. 

She was often fat-shamed by tabloids and mockingly dubbed “Duchess of Pork” and “Fat Fergie.”

“The profound scars of my childhood led to feelings of unworthiness,” she shared, noting that this contributed to an “unhealthy attitude to food that often threatened to spiral into a full-scale eating disorder.”

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