Former reality TV personality Ratile Mabitsela has opened up about her experience with depression and the devastating loss of her husband, Elias Lehlogonolo Mabitsela, using World Suicide Prevention Day to encourage conversations around mental health.
Ratile, who is known for appearing on the reality series The Mommy Club, shared the deeply personal reflection on 10 September, speaking about her own mental health struggles as well as the pain of losing a partner to suicide.
Ratile shares her personal experience
In her message, Ratile revealed that her connection to depression has been both personal and through someone she loved.
“I can’t speak about mental health without reflecting on my own life. And perhaps sharing parts of my healing journey might encourage someone else to keep going. I have known depression from both sides,” she wrote.
She explained that she had experienced depression herself while also supporting a partner who was battling the illness.
“From battling depression myself, to loving a partner who battled it too. From surviving my own suicide attempt, to later losing my partner to suicide. I share this not for pity, but for awareness,” she said.
Ratile also stressed that depression is not always visible, warning that people can be suffering deeply without those around them realising the seriousness of what they are going through.
“Depression is not always something you can see. Yet the pain can become life-threatening when someone is suffering without the support and treatment they need,” she wrote.
Remembering Elias
Elias died by suicide on 12 February 2025, only days after he and Ratile had celebrated the seventh birthday of their twins.
At the time of his death, the couple were separated and reportedly going through a divorce. Despite the difficulties in their relationship, his death had a profound impact on Ratile and their family.
Elias was a businessman and had appeared alongside Ratile on The Mommy Club. The couple shared three children.
In the weeks following his death, Ratile had spoken about the weight of grief and expressed gratitude to those who supported her and her family.
“A month later, and the journey of grief remains heavy. I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and my online family and friends,” she said in an earlier tribute.
She added: “Each kind word, prayer, and gesture has brought us comfort and healing during this turbulent time.”
Turning grief into awareness
Rather than focusing solely on her own loss, Ratile used her latest message to reach people who may be struggling with their mental health or supporting someone who is.
“Check in on the people you love. Be a safe space. Pay attention to your own thoughts and triggers. Seek professional help when you need it,” she urged.
She also acknowledged that healing can take different forms, mentioning therapy, medication, prayer and meditation among the possible forms of support.
Ratile dedicated part of her message to people who have survived suicide attempts, as well as families who have lost loved ones.
“Today I hold space for those who attempted suicide an survived. I hold space for the lives we have lost, and for the families who continue living with that loss,” she wrote.
She ended by reaching out to those currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, telling them: “And to anyone battling right now, especially if you are feeling suicidal, the last slide is for you.”
A public journey through grief
Ratile’s decision to speak publicly about her experiences comes as she continues to navigate life after Elias’s death.
Her openness has also placed her personal healing journey within a wider conversation about suicide prevention and the importance of recognising depression as a serious mental health condition.
Ratile said sharing her story is not about seeking sympathy, but about using an intensely painful chapter of her life to encourage others to speak, seek help and support those who may be suffering in silence.
