I get letters from people saying ‘I want to kill myself’ ... it is a huge responsibility
DAVID Walliams says suicidal fans have reached out to him since he told how he previously considered taking his own life.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge talked of the “huge responsibility” of being the person they choose to confide in.
The 46-year-old said he urges them to tell loved ones how they feel or get professional help.
Walliams, who told of his struggles with depression in 2012 autobiography Camp David, added: “Every day someone contacts me, which is good.
“Unfortunately there’s this stigma and I feel like people don’t seek help.
“It’s very hard when you get a letter from someone saying, ‘I’m thinking about killing myself ’. You feel a huge responsibility in the way that you respond to that person.
“They’re a total stranger, you know nothing about their situation other than what they’ve told you in a letter. You’re not a trained medical person, so I always say to people in that situation, ‘You should tell your family, tell your friends and seek help’.”
On Desert Island Discs in 2009, the comedian and author told how his party lifestyle and heavy workload in Little Britain were his way of coping with depression.
But now, interviewed by his friend John Bishop, Walliams seems more at peace with himself.
He said: “Creativity, to some point, is like your manic phase. So there’s a great rush of creativity and obviously that is an escape as well.
“When I write books or dress up as characters, I’m escaping from the real world. There’s nothing I like more than looking in the mirror and seeing someone different. You go, ‘Brilliant, I’m someone else’. But I’ve matured and I think I’m better at being me.”
He said a “great psychologist” had helped with his depression. He added: “It’s the stigma of it that stops people from talking about it.
“Depression changes the way you think and feel about everything. So it’s hard to accept that the reason you’re thinking that way is because you’re ill rather than because things really are that way. It’s really complicated.”
Walliams is as busy as ever with BGT, writing children’s books such as bestseller The Boy in the Dress, and as co-founder of comedy production company King Bert Productions.
He is also a devoted father to fouryear-old Alfred, his son with his ex-wife, model Lara Stone. He has never gone public with the reasons for the end of his five-year marriage.
One woman he does talk about, however, is mum Kathleen, who is by his side at many events.
He added: “Sadly my dad died 10 years ago so it’s nice to take her to things. She’s met incredible people. She’s met the Queen twice.”
Walliams also told how a bid to get a loan from his local bank while starting out with comedy partner Matt Lucas had inspired one of their best-known catchphrases.
He and Matt met at the National Youth Theatre and started putting on shows in 1995 before making Little Britain as a Radio 4 programme in 2000 prior to its arrival on TV.
He said: “I was brought into this little room with a woman and a computer. And she said, ‘Ooohhh, how much do you want to borrow? Five thousand pounds, OK I’ve put the details into the computer let’s see what it says.’
“We sat there in silence for a few seconds – and then she went, ‘Computer says yes.’
“Anyway it amused me and I went back to Matt and so it became this morose woman who enjoyed saying, ‘Computer says no.’”
John Bishop: In Conversation With David Walliams will air on W tonight at 9pm and is the first of a 10-part series.