After a two-year hiatus from showbiz, Kelley Day is gradually stepping back into the limelight.
Turning 28 this December, PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) asked if joining a pageant again is in her plans.
The Miss Eco International 2021 first runner-up replied, "Actually, someone just asked me that.
"I mean, it's always there. Especially since wala ng age limits in Miss Universe Philippines.
"Pero kung sasali ulit ako, I would like to join Binibining Pilipinas, kaso lang I only have one year for that."
But she’s more focused on returning to acting, having signed with Viva Artist Agency on November 26, 2024.
Kelley said, “So that's kind of what I wanna pursue right now. Maybe some movie projects or a TV show.
"It's been like almost three years since I worked in shows. And I miss the new environment.”
Her last series was The World Between Us, which starred Alden Richards, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and Tom Rodriguez.
It ran from July 5, 2021 to January 7, 2022.
Read: Kelley Day, agaw-pansin sa The World Between Us
Kelley Day’s Hiatus
The month the series ended, a blind item claimed that she was the third party in the messy split between Tom and his then-wife Carla Abellana.
Rumors also swirled that she went to London to give birth.
Read: Kelley Day denies being third party in Tom Rodriguez-Carla Abellana rumored breakup
On January 27, Kelley addressed the blind item through an Instagram Story, calling it “fake news.”
Part of her statement read:
"Many people are speculating about my involvement in a certain rumor/blind item story that seems to have been circulating today.
"So before things get too out of hand, I'd like to clarify that I have no knowledge of/involvement with the controversy.
"I don't know how or why my name has become linked (I'm surprised too), but what I do know is these accusations about me are false.”
She also denied pregnancy rumors, adding: "Truth: "I've travelled to the UK to attend the funeral of a family member and to spend time with my UK-based family.
"I'm not pregnant (nor have I ever been).”
Read: Kelley Day slams basher who called her "kabit": "Pls let me heal in peace.”
That same year, she quietly left the spotlight.
Speaking to PEP.ph at a Burt’s Bees event held earlier this month, she reiterated:
"I was not pregnant. I was not in a third-party affair or something.
"I took a break kasi my dad was hospitalized.”
Kelley Day’s Panic Disorder
The more pressing reason for her hiatus, however, was her personal battle with anxiety.
She revealed, “It’s called panic disorder. Like, I can't control my panic attacks.
"So I couldn't leave my house for like a year. I was really, like, as in physically, I couldn't move.”
Read: Kelley Day clears third-party rumors with Carla Abellana
The Trigger
Stress caused by her father’s hospitalization became the tipping point that sent her mental health into a downward spiral.
The actress recounted, "My dad, he almost died.
"And then, he was there in the hospital for like two and a half months.
"And then kami, my family, seriously, every day, I went to the hospital.
"And I think what happened, according to my psychiatrist, I got super overwhelmed.
"So there was like high adrenaline. Kasi in my mind, ‘He couldn't die.'
"And then, he became okay. So parang yung adrenaline ko, nag-drop.
"So they call that adjustment disorder.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Adjustment disorders affect how you feel and think about yourself and the world.
"They also may affect your actions or behavior. Some examples include: feeling sad, hopeless, or not enjoying things you used to enjoy."
When her dad recovered, Kelley’s mental health worsened.
Her condition had been building up for years.
"Maybe like, 10 years ago. Kasi, a lot of what I was carrying was from over the past 10 years.
"And that was the root of everything that hit me in one blow—when my dad was in the hospital.”
Past experiences accumulated until they overwhelmed her.
"I moved on thinking I was okay, hindi pala… It accumulated na lang over time, then it just hit me at once.”
She fainted at the hospital where her dad was being treated.
"I fainted. And sabi nung doctor na, sabi niya, mukhang seizure daw. And he said, ‘Do you have epilepsy? Do you have this?'
"I said, ‘No, no, no. I'm okay.' Sabi ko, ayaw ko lang sa hospital. Takot ako sa needles, gano'n.
"And sabi niya, ‘We need to do the CT scan, blood brain scan.' "What? I said, no, no, no. I'm okay.”
That became the start of her ordeal. “After that, I started panicking. Panicking a lot. About nothing.
"Like, I can't stop panicking.
"It’s the mental issue causing physical symptoms.”
The Symptoms
According to the Mayo Clinic, panic disorder symptoms can feel like a heart attack.
Kelley described, "So, pag nagpa-panic ako, I'll be sweating. I think I'm gonna collapse.
“Hindi ko kaya mag-isa. Before, if I'm alone, I feel like I'm crying. I’d be trembling and feel so weak talaga.
"I couldn't even walk.
"So it came to a point when I didn’t want to leave the house because I don’t know when the panic will attack me.
"So that worry, fear added to my stress. Kaya I chose to be just home na lang.
"So those rumors about me hiding, that was just so unfair. If only they knew what I was going through.”
The Ordeal
The first step in dealing with panic disorder is recognizing it.
Kelley advised, "If anyone reading this or listening is interested, they can google Panic Disorder.
“I think what happened to me was I did not know it. No one understood me.
"My friends, my family, they didn't understand what I was going through.
"It's important when a doctor told me about it, and it was explained to me.
“It's still always good to have someone, if not a therapist, someone that you can really be with.
"You shouldn't carry all the struggles of life on your own."
She clarified, “What I went through is like a severe case, kasi it got accumulated, e, and left untreated for many years.
“Pero, hindi siya clinical.”
When you were just staying at home, what was your life like?
“I avoid anything that would cause me anxiety.
"I would try to distract myself to play, like, Playstation, mga ganyan.
"Until medyo nakakalabas na ako, I would walk the dogs.
"And then after one year, medyo nag-start ako lumabas. Just going to the mall, doing the groceries, learning to drive again.
"And then, after two years, sabi ko, ‘Siguro, I can start going to some events.’”
The PEOPLE WHO HAD HER BACK
When it happened the first time, her mom was focused on caring for her dad, who was then in the hospital…
“My boyfriend and my brother were there for me.
"And then, after my brother left, my boyfriend's family, they housed me for three months until I was able to go back to my roommates.
"So yung family ng boyfriend ko, they're very, like, I'd say, like, very conservative.
"So we weren't sure if it's okay if I stay in their place.
"But they set up a room for me. They had me in their home.
"They were looking after me. They cared for me talaga.
"Like, I'm so grateful to them.”
Kelly’s boyfriend of three years is Rigo Joseph.
"Until now, kami pa rin,” she said, her eyes sparkling.
Kelley Day’s Showbiz Comeback
Kelley is now focused on rebuilding her career and prioritizing her mental health at the same time.
In October, she filmed Lost and Found with Paolo Contis and Yuri Sonoda in Queenstown, New Zealand.
While nothing is lined up for TV yet, Kelley hopes to work with GMA again.
"I really love working with GMA. I hope, I hope it will somehow happen—me being part of a TV series or show."
How’s her mental health?
“Until now, I still take medication. I still have therapy.
"And even this time going into showbiz again, I decided, I really need to look out for myself.
"Kasi minsan sa work, sa showbiz, you get kinda caught up with it.
"And even if they say like, you need to be out, do this job, so, nowadays, I have learned to say no. I tell them naman when I need to take a rest.
“I have become aware. If I don't feel comfortable. Alam ko na if I'm reaching the point na I'm overstressing, okay, I gotta take that time for myself.
“Before, all opportunities, you need to grab. And sayang, if you don't, someone else would take it from you.
"But sometimes, we have to sacrifice the opportunities for ourselves."
What's your advice for people who may be going through panic disorder?
“If you genuinely feel like you're okay, then okay, that's good. Meaning, behind closed doors, if you feel like you're okay, you're happy, that's good.
“But it’s different when we have to tell ourselves we're okay, sort of convince that we’re okay.
“Or we feel generally okay because we avoid thinking about it. We avoid facing it.
"But each time, it resurfaces, that’s when we really feel we’re not okay."
Kelley encourages others struggling with panic disorder to seek help early.
“My advice is start seeing a therapist. Don’t disregard it until it becomes a serious condition like what happened to me.”
To those who are seeking either someone to talk to or professional help because of mental health issues, you may call National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline: 1553, Landline (02) 7-989-8727 and mobile number 0966-351-4518.