JAY: MY CHATS STOP SUICIDES
DIY star puts lives back together EXCLUSIVE
REPAIR Shop host Jay Blades is helping to save the lives of desperate men – just five years after he was on the brink of suicide himself.
The star is regularly contacted by troubled fans who are struggling so much they want to take their own life.
Jay was once in that position too – so he does everything he can to help.
And he revealed: “I’ve probably stopped about five people not being here any more.”
The star of popular show The Repair Shop told the Daily Star Sunday: “I get quite a lot of men contacting me and explaining what they’re going through. It’s in emails and messages. They tell me they are not in a good space.
“They’re not always asking for help, they’re just telling their story. But what I can then do is signpost them to the relevant agency in their area.
“As soon as you can help someone in that way, it’s a good feeling.
“It’s obviously not something to be singing and dancing about. But to be able to help others feels really good.”
Jay almost ended his life after losing his charity, his marriage and his home at the same time. Help from a pal saved him, and he went on to rebuild his life.
After he bravely spoke about his experience earlier this year, scores of fans contacted him to tell him their stories. Jay said: “Luckily for me, I got support. Not everybody is as fortunate as myself. Some people are still struggling. There are a lot of people out there that need support and I can direct people in the right way. If someone like myself can help people, then I will.
“I used to work in the charity sector, so I know a lot about it. There are a lot of professionals out there who can help.”
Suicide is the biggest single killer of men under 45 in the UK, and Jay wants to see more people opening up when they are struggling. He said: “There are a lot of issues around men’s mental health that need to be addressed.
“It is a problem we have in our society and we need to address it.” Ex-footballer Rio Ferdinand recently spoke about his struggle after the death of his first wife. Jay said: “We need to expose it as much as we can, whether it’s someone like Rio Ferdinand talking about grief or me talking about what I went through… that’s what we should be doing. Men keep a lot of stuff inside, which is why suicide is the biggest killer.”
For support phone 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.