Yazmin Oukhellou PTSD UK Ambassador

Television personality Yazmin Oukhellou is best known for being part of the cast of ITVBe’s ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ and joins PTSD UK as a celebrity ambassador following her own PTSD diagnosis earlier this year.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition which some people develop after experiencing a trauma such as a road traffic incident, bereavement, personal assault, natural disaster, miscarriage, traumatic childbirth, being bullied, sexual violence, childhood abuse, domestic abuse or fire. It’s estimated that in any given week in the UK, 4 in 100 people have PTSD – this equates to 2,612,000 people in the UK, yet it’s still an incredibly misunderstood, and still relatively unknown condition.

Yazmin first become involved with PTSD UK after she started experiencing trauma symptoms following a fatal car crash in Turkey in which the driver tragically died.  To escape the wreckage and get help, Yazmin had to deliberately break her own trapped arm, whilst bleeding heavily after serious injuries and she severed an artery and nerve.

In recent months, Yazmin has been using her Instagram profile, with over 750,000 followers, to highlight the realities of trauma and PTSD, coupled with a strong message of hope and resilience.

“Healing is NOT an overnight process. It takes time. Sometimes you’ll feel like you’re finally getting over something & happy again, and then the wound will reopen when you least expect it. Don’t give up, don’t get discouraged. 

Take each day 1 step at a time. Just try to be in a better place mentally, emotionally and spiritually than you were yesterday.”

As part of Yazmin’s healing process, she decided to reach out to PTSD UK to offer her support – and they were honoured to have her on board.

Jacqui Suttie, PTSD UK Founder and CEO said, “We’re delighted to welcome Yazmin as an Ambassador for PTSD UK. Yazmin’s attitude and actions following her trauma, and subsequent PTSD diagnosis, has been nothing short of inspirational and we have no doubt that through supporting our work, Yazmin will provide hope to so many people affected by PTSD and C-PTSD.”

Having celebrities like Yazmin speak openly about their experience with PTSD not only raises awareness, but it helps to break down stigma, challenge attitudes and encourage others to talk up and reach out for help. We are incredibly honoured to have Yazmin’s support.”

Yazmin said, “I’m honoured to be working with PTSD UK. They are an incredible charity and I hope that together we can continue to raise awareness about what PTSD is, so people don’t have to suffer alone.”