Big Brother contestant shares her depression battle

Being the first person voted off Big Brother Canada last year was one of the best things that could have happened to Anick Gervais.

The Hanmer native credits the exposure she got from being on the show's second season for boosting her career as a motivational speaker and allowing her to share her story about overcoming depression.

“After that all the doors started opening up for me,” she said. “It's been the best experience of my life.”

Gervais said she didn't have a great home life when she was growing up, and while she was popular at school, hid her severe depression from her peers.

She said she wrote too many suicide notes to count, and when she was around 15 years old walked into the woods near her Hanmer home with a noose in hand, prepared to end her own life.

Before she could carry out the act, Gervais said her inner voice stopped her and said she was meant for greatness.

“It was the first ever positive thought I had received in my head,” she said.

Thanks in part to a supportive teacher at École Secondaire l'Horizon she survived high school and went on to study business marketing at Algonquin College in Ottawa.

It was in Ottawa that Gervais, who had always struggled in school, discovered she had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

“The education system I experienced is not tailored for people with learning disabilities,” Gervais said.

She learned she thrived in hands-on learning environments and eventually went on to get a good-paying job as a sales rep with a local mining supply company, but her heart wasn't in it.

Gervais said she had a good story to share, and wanted to help young people, who, like her, may struggle with depression and have difficulties in a traditional classroom environment.

Through a friend, she connected with a teacher at Sudbury's Marymount Academy and got a chance to share her story with 80 students at the all-girls school.

Gervais said 14 girls approached her after her talk and told her they had self-harmed or had suicidal thoughts.

Gervais said she realized she had an impact on the girls, who had connected with her story and felt comfortable enough to share their own struggles with her.

She said today's teenagers have it even harder than she did because of how commonplace cyber-bullying has become in recent years.

“Back in the day, we had to wait for recess for something to happen,” she said. “So we actually got a break.”

With her exposure from Big Brother Canada, Gervais has given motivational speeches to students in Sudbury, Ottawa, Toronto and across northeastern Ontario.

“My message is that people need to accept who they are and know that they're not alone,” Gervais said.

She has launched a website called anickdotes.com and hosts sessions in her Hanmer home, and in different public spaces, such as local libraries, on a regular basis.

Gervais said she feels more fulfilled than ever before with her focus on helping others.

“If I inspire one person I've done my job,” she said.