Actress tells of being bipolar

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES has opened up about suffering from bipolar disorder.

The 41-year-old actress said there was no need to “suffer” in silence and she hoped the publicity surrounding her treatment — she checked into rehab after helping husband Michael Douglas battle throat cancer — might help others.

She told US magazine People: “This is a disorder that affects millions of people and I am one of them. If my revelation of having Bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it.”

She added: “There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help.”

The Oscar-winning star spent five days getting treatment, reportedly at the Silver Hill psychiatric hospital in Connecticut earlier this month.

Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, is a severe mood disorder.

The actress, mother to son Dylan, 10, and daughter Carys, eight, has returned to work in Louisiana, where she is filming the comedy Playing The Field, alongside Gerard Butler, Uma Thurman and Jessica Biel.