Was Zeta-Jones forced to admit depression?

The Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has been widely praised overnight for "coming out" as a mental health sufferer following reports that she has received treatment at a Connecticut clinic for manic depression, or bi-polar disorder.

Among those welcoming her bold decision to go public was Mark Davies, from the charity Rethink Mental Illness. He said: "When people such as Catherine Zeta-Jones speak out it makes a big difference to the millions of other people facing mental illness. It shows them that they are not alone and that mental illness can affect anyone."

But did the Welsh-born wife of Michael Douglas "speak out" because she wanted to help dispel the stigma of mental illness - or because she had no choice?

When the story first broke on the gossip site TMZ yesterday morning California time, there was no suggestion that this was something the actress wanted to share with the world.

"Catherine Zeta-Jones has reportedly entered a mental health treatment center for a bipolar disorder ... despite her rep squarely denying the story to TMZ," the site announced.

Only later did her 'rep', Cece Yorke, return to the media with a statement from her boss: "After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her bipolar II disorder.

"She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films."

Zeta Jones has had to deal with the stress of Michael Douglas's battle with throat cancer. After a long and difficult year, he announced in January that his tumour had gone and doctors believed he was beating it. ·