The Saturdays singer Frankie Sandford is wearing her heart on her sleeve today (Thursday 15 August) and fronting a new campaign for Time to Change, the mental health anti-stigma programme run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, which aims to stamp out the stigma that surrounds mental health.

Her support follows results of a new survey commissioned by Time to Change, it shows that nearly half of 25-34 year olds (45%) feel that people in the public eye, like Frankie, Stephen Fry, Ruby Wax, and Denise Welch, have made them more aware of the stigma that surrounds mental health problems. The research also reveals that over a third of adults (39%) say that hearing about a celebrity talking about their own experiences in the media has made them think more positively about mental health in general.

Alongside fellow ambassadors, including This Morning’s Matt Johnson, the ‘Issues’ and ‘What About Us’ singer has been seen wearing a heart-shaped fake tattoo, designed by contemporary British artist Stuart Semple, to support Time to Change’s It’s time to talk campaign. Both Frankie and Matt have talked openly about their experiences of depression, to help tackle the discrimination that many people with a mental health problem still face.

The campaign highlights the vital role that people from all walks of life can play in speaking out about their experiences, and break down the taboo surrounding mental health.

Other celebrities who have shown their support, and have been seen wearing the fake tattoo on Twitter are - Ricky Hatton, Ruby Wax, Dr Dawn Harper, Uri Geller, Russell Kane and Rachel Bruno.

The Saturdays’ Frankie Sandford said:

Mental health is still such an awkward subject, yet if someone was going through another health issue we wouldn’t hesitate to ask them how they’re doing. When I experienced depression, I had the support of friends and family which really helped - being able to talk about it is really important.

It’s time to talk encourages all of us to start a conversation about mental health by highlighting the small things that we all can do to support someone. By letting people know that straight forward actions like sending a text, or asking someone how they are, can really help, it shows people that talking about this taboo subject isn’t as scary as they think.

The campaign is asking the public to start their conversation by sharing Time to Talk posts and pictures on social media. To find out how to get involved and which other celebrities are supporting the campaign go to time-to-change.org.uk or tweet #Timetotalk

www.time-to-change.org.uk