Derry Girls actress Jamie-Lee O’Donnell said making the move is the “best thing” she’s ever done, after fame led her to “a dark place”
Actress Jamie-Lee O’Donnell has revealed the emotional reason behind her decision to leave Northern Ireland for a new life in Spain. The 38-year-old from Derry, Northern Ireland, is best known for playing school girl Michelle Mallon in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls.
Earlier this year, the actress packed up her bags for a life in the sun in a bid to improve her mental health. In a candid interview, Jamie-Lee admitted that fame had left her feeling as though she was “losing control of everything”.
She explained: “Being successful and well-known triggered a lot of stuff that I was pushing away from certain issues from my childhood and past trauma.
“I felt like I was losing control of everything. It got a bit dark for a while.”
To get through this difficult chapter, the actress made the decision to take some time out and seek a therapist.
“I took a pause and regrouped and figured things out for myself,” she added to The i Paper.
“It was for the greater good. It was a process I coined the ‘Great Wising Up’ because it took so long – and because in Derry we would say to each other ‘Wise up’.”
As part of the therapy, Jamie-Lee said she dived into past relationships which were “very abusive”.
“There was a cycle and I was at the centre of it,” she explained. “I always said that even if it wasn’t my fault, it was my responsibility to look after myself, which took a long time to learn.”
Now in a better place, the actress said she is “happy” to be in a “very healthy” new relationship.
Reflecting on her decision to move to Spain, she went on to say it’s “the best thing” she’s ever done.
“I’d just wrapped up the bulk of the therapy and that was one of the things I did for myself,” she added.
“I sold my house and decided to move somewhere where I’ve always wanted to – somewhere warm, with a different culture and language, and to just sort myself out mentally.”
While she had high hopes of a sun-soaked year however, Jamie-Lee’s latest projects have been based in Dublin or London.
She told RSVP Live: “It’s funny because I moved to Spain for sun, and every job since has been in Dublin or London, I thought this was going to be the sunniest year of my life and no!
“I’ve been in Dublin twice, London twice, Derry and Belfast so not so much sun after all!”
After her work on Derry Girls, Jamie-Lee went on to star in the likes of Screw, The Feud, 6 Degrees, Unwelcome and Redeeming Love.
More recently, she has taken on the role of Shelley in the Irish comedy-drama television series Leonard and Hungry Paul.
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