"I knew that I could be happy and I wanted to be happy and nothing was worth the sacrifice of not being happy any more, so my priorities shifted," Layton told Fairfax Media.

"I just wasn't coping in day-to-day life. I just got to the point where I didn't want to live that life any more. I guess I'd been playing such good netball whilst I was going through it for a lot of the time - it was something I'd put behind me.

"I'm super fortunate in regards to what I've achieved in netball. For me it was more about okay, everything I've done in my life to this point where I was 29 years old has been for netball and now I just need to make sure I look after myself."

There's a perception that everyone needs to be happy all the time and that's probably what I felt, that I had to be up and I had to be happy all the time.

Sharni Layton

Layton was bombarded with a flurry of well wishes and messages of support from teammates, past and current, family, friends and people she didn't even know.

Her situation resonated with professional athletes worldwide. This was netball's biggest name, arguably the best defender of the past decade who regularly takes more than an hour to leave the court post game as she poses for endless selfies and signs autographs for her legions of fans.

She was a media personality on television, well respected in sporting circles beyond netball and seemingly living the dream life.

But beneath that booming voice, infectious laugh and permanent smile, Layton was waging the toughest battle of all.

"There's a perception that everyone needs to be happy all the time and that's probably what I felt, that I had to be up and I had to be happy all the time," Layton said.

"The thing is it's okay to feel down and that doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with you. Everyone has their individual journey and their own triggers.

"I got amazing help from my psychiatrist and my psychologist and when I started seeing them I realised how normal it is.

"Before I saw them I thought that there was something wrong with me. Figuring out that it was more my thought processes took a while, but after I started to fix those up it was a lot better."

Layton tried to return to the Diamonds in time for the Commonwealth Games. She wasn't medically cleared in time for the January Quad Series, but did attend national coach Lisa Alexander's simulation camp later that month at Netball's Centre of Excellence.

Ultimately though, Alexander didn't select Layton in her Commonwealth Games squad.

The Magpies star then battled an ankle injury for two months during pre-season but recovered in time for round one.

More than nine months after stepping away from the sport, Layton has played every minute for the Magpies this season and has a refreshed perspective on netball, and on life.

"My major appreciation is just how quick the game is at the moment, it was about eight months between first and last time I played," Layton said.

"That was the biggest break I've ever taken in my 14-year career. I kind of took for granted I always kept up my fitness on the netball court but just the repeated efforts, how quick the ball moves, trying to keep up with all the plays. I was just like holy crap our sport has grown so much.

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"There was a time once you could miss pre-season then you got back on court and it didn't matter. Our girls are so athletic now and the game's so fast, it's just amazing."

Layton has also been able to reconnect with former Swifts coach Rob Wright this season. Wright unexpectedly walked out on the Swifts at the end of last season, and bobbed up at the Magpies as the club's defensive coach.

"We're so lucky to have him down here, for me I was definitely playing my best netball under him when I was up at the Swifts," Layton said.

"Defensively he's just so smart, he's by far the smartest defensive coach that I've ever worked with so to be able to have his expertise down here, we're just getting so much out of him."