'I found fame at 16 on X-Factor before becoming suicidal - but there's help out there'

Former X Factor star Janet Devlin has a message of hope for anyone suffering from suicidal thoughts this Christmas - "The Samaritans saved my life and they could save yours."

Janet was 16 when she topped the charts with Wishing On A Star as part of the 2011 X-Factor finalists' ensemble.

But in the years after finding overnight fame, she fell prey to depression, alcoholism, and suicidal thoughts.

The County-Tyrone-born singer told the Express: "I never anticipated being here past 20 but by some miracle I am."

Janet, 30 last week, has just released her critically acclaimed third album, Emotional Rodeo, and says the lead single Best Life reflects how she feels about herself now.

She credits The Samaritans - a charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide throughout the British Isles - for saving her.

She said, "Whenever I take a train, I guarantee as I approach that yellow line to wait, I'll see that little green Samaritans' logo on a poster staring back at me and I'm transported back to a time when I didn't even trust myself to wait by the platform edge.

"Fearing my own actions.

"You'd think by now, almost ten years later, the Samaritans signage would blend into the background. That I'd take no notice. But I do. Every. Single. Time.

"If you were to take my phone now and look at my contacts, 'Sam' will be there. An old friend I called many times in my past but slowly fell out of contact with - happily so.

"I'll always be grateful for those lovely strangers who took the time out of their lives to save mine, for what a blessing it is to grow older."

Janet soared to No 4 on the iTunes country chart and went Top 40 earlier this year with the album's btitle track, and her moving current single Red Flag just made the BBC Radio 2 Playlist.

She recorded her heartfelt and courageous country-rock album Emotional Rodeo (released today) at Martina McBride's Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

Born in Gortin, a village in Northern Ireland, Devlin is a life-long fan of country music, which has its roots in the folk music of the British Isles.

She said, "I wanted to make contemporary country in the old timey way; write songs for the folks in the era we're living in with online dating, ghosting and the pitfalls and perils of social media.

"I'm Irish so I can't take myself too seriously. It's in my bones."

She is intensely serious about helping people who feel lonely and downcast, as she once did, however.

At her lowest ebb Devlin never got her driver's license because she never thought she'd be around long enough to require one.

"I never anticipated to be here past 20 years old but somehow, by some miracle I am. Stood on the precipice of my 30th birthday. Accompanied not by the dread of that milestone as many may be. I'm grateful to be here.

"Now I drive everywhere," she said. "Most of the time I can move through the world in blissful ignorance of my past, blinkered to the demons that once haunted me.

"Mental health help is hard to access, we all know that. The waiting lists are ever growing and it's almost impossible to get instant access to the help needed. The alternative being too expensive for most.

"In the current climate when people are having to choose between heating or eating, there's no way they can afford private care.

"Suicidal ideation doesn't discriminate though. You could have all the money in the world but still be silently fighting this battle."

She went on, "This time of year is an incredibly isolating time for those who struggle to make it through an hour let alone a holiday.

"With Christmas on the horizon it becomes even more bleak. The most magical time of the year. Well that's how it's sold to us.

"Every ad on TV showing smiling faces, happy families and joy around every corner. With Christmas parties in full swing, people dolled up to the nines for their night off, there will be that one lonely soul who is painting on their smile. Clock watching for a socially acceptable time to leave.

"When the music's over and the lonely kicks in they make their way to the tube. As they approach that yellow line to wait and watch for their train, they'll see that little green logo on a poster staring back at them.

"They may make a life-saving friend in 'Sam' too."

*You can call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or find them at Samaritans.org