Gwyneth Paltrow, pictured in her new film Country Strong, has opened up about suffering post-natal depression. Pic: AP Photo/Sony-Screen Gems, Scott Garfield Source: AP

GWYNETH Paltrow has revealed how she felt like a "zombie" while suffering post-natal depression following the birth of her second child.

The 38-year-old actress admitted she struggled to cope following the birth of her son Moses in 2006.Paltrow also said she couldn’t understand why she felt so bad because she had been fine after giving birth to daughter Apple in 2004.She told Good Housekeeping magazine: ”I felt like a zombie. I couldn’t access my heart. I couldn’t access my emotions. I couldn’t connect."it was terrible, it was the exact opposite of what had happened when Apple was born."With her, I was on cloud nine. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t the same. I just thought it meant I was a terrible mother and a terrible person."Paltrow, who is married to Coldplay singer Chris Martin, also admitted she failed to recognise the symptoms of post-natal depression – which causes a hormone imbalance and affects up to 25 per cent of mothers. She added: "I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child."but there are different shades of it and depths of it, which is why I think it’s so important for women to talk about it. it was a trying time. you don’t want anybody to know that you’re depressed or crying all the time."There’s this shame that we bring to it and it’s incredibly debilitating and scary and you just don’t feel like yourself."Paltrow, who lives in London with Martin and their two children, said it was the 33-year-old musician who first helped her recognise she was suffering from the condition.She said: "About four months into it, Chris came to me and said, "Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong.""I kept saying, ‘No, no, I’m fine.’ but Chris identified it, and that sort of burst the bubble."Paltrow has enjoyed something of a career comeback in recent months, appearing on hit US TV show Glee and starring in the new movie Country Strong.The Oscar-winning actress also credited Martin with keeping her grounded, adding that as he is British, he knows how to keep his feelings hidden.She said: "I definitely have to coax things out of him when we talk. you know, he’s British, so it’s a different lexicon totally."but you have to communicate. Otherwise there’s no relationship."