Catherine Britt 'Open & Honest' To Help People Through Trauma

CONTENT WARNING: This article contains discussions of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, or domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

Australian country music star, Catherine Britt has opened up on social media about her personal troubles in hopes it will help other people who may also be struggling.

“I have been contemplating whether I should post this or not, but I have always strived to be as open, real and honest as I can be and hopefully it helps others as well. I try to also do this with my music and hope it shows and helps people feel less alone,” she started.

“I am now on a journey of physical, mental and emotional health and well-being. It’s what my body and mind desperately need. I need to take the time to work on ME inside and out, properly, for the first time in my life. I have PTSD and it affects me every day. The dreams. The night terrors. I can’t.

“I have abused alcohol like so many in our culture do to fit in and it has led to some heavy consequences. I have depression from years of ignoring my mental health properly and always sticking band aids over it rather than taking the time to get the proper help I need.”

She continued, “I always put others first and me on the “to do list” and this is a quality I am not proud of because ultimately, I suffer as a consequence, and I cannot keep being a people pleaser and doing things for others first. I need to come first. If mumma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. I get it now. I am a cancer survivor, domestic violence survivor, rape survivor and sexual assault survivor and proud of surviving it.

“I have had a long and rough road of ups and downs and I am now, for the first time in my life, in a safe place with a supportive and loving partner and kids that I would do anything on this planet for that I finally feel ready to heal properly.

“To shut out the ones who harmed me and focus on the ones who were always good to me and cared. I have made so many mistakes and bad choices in life and hurt so many people along the way that I have to live with. I want to heal this and apologize to the ones who I owe it too as well.”

She closed off by saying, “I’m excited for this journey and what it will do for my life and ME and the people who surround it. It’s life long, I know that, but I have started. Music will, as it always has, save me. Time to dig deep into the work and focus on what really matters… True love and happiness, family, music and above all… self love.”

The lengthy post came twelve days after she cancelled her show at the Moonshiners Honky Tonk Bar as part of the Tamworth Country Music festival. The cryptic and sudden announcement was accompanied by an image featured a glowing yellow heart on a black textured background.

She captioned in part, “I am so sorry to write this at such a late hour, due to unforeseen personal circumstances I have to cancel my show today… I have to put my children and my family first. I will be going off the grid for a little bit but please know that I love and appreciate all the support from you my music fans. Hug those you love tightly and take care of you.”

This also isn’t the first time that Britt has been open and honest on social media. Back in November 2022, the five-time Golden Guitar winner posted a series of videos on Facebook where she revealed she experienced abuse as a teenager and into her twenties. 

She said in part, “I'm getting to a point where I just want to say something. I just want to fight back. I could write an autobiography, I could ruin people's lives, ruin people's careers, but you know, I've always taken the high road. I've always tried to be the bigger person when people put me down and talked shit about me online and done all this stupid shit to make me feel littler than I am. I'm getting to a point where I need to speak up. There are so many things I want to address. So, let's do it."

Britt then recalled details of what happened, how it affected her and more. She signed off vowing to care for anyone who had also been abused.

"For all the women out there who have ever felt like I feel, I have your back—100%,” she said. “Reach out to me; I will look after you. I will take care of you. They won’t."