CHAMP’S KNOCKOUT ADVICE... ‘Talking is like letting poison out of a wound’
ONE day in June 2016, behind the wheel of my new Ferrari, I thought I could switch off the pain and end it for good.
As I sped towards the side of a bridge spanning the motorway, the Italian car doing 160mph, at the last moment a voice inside my head said, ‘ Think about your kids, Tyson, your boys and girls growing up without a father.’
And I thank God that I escaped the jaws of despair. What stirred within me seconds before potential death was the very essence of life; I didn’t want to give up.
It was this small glimmer of light in the darkness that would start me on my comeback.
If you have had suicidal thoughts, I urge you to seek professional help immediately so that you can start your comeback.
Depression can make life seem worse than it is, and in my mind I didn’t feel I had anything to live for. I was doubting everything and prayed for death daily.
Buying a Ferrari and having a few million quid in the bank should have been more fun than it was, but there was no substance to it.
I kept going to see the therapist once a week. Even by my standards, I did a lot of talking on those Fridays!
I was initially sceptical about going, but it was a really positive experience. I’ve never opened up like that to a stranger; it was like letting poison out
of a wound. Just by sharing my weaknesses I loosened the hold this horrible demon had on me.
Since then I’ve become known for speaking out about mental health and it’s not unusual for me to get the odd visit from someone who is struggling.
I was a bit freaked out but also humbled when, in December 2019, a lad in his 20s knocked on our door. It was still way before dawn.
He told me he was having suicidal thoughts and needed to speak to me before he did anything.
I took him out on a threemile run and we talked about what he was going through.
Thankfully, he felt better for it and I recommended he get professional help.
Depression runs in the family. My dad told me his dad was his mentor and used to suffer too.
My grandfather could read my dad like a book. He would say, ‘Sit down and have a cup of tea, John’.
They’d talk about old times and Dad would leave 10 minutes later with a genuine smile and feeling better.
Ever since I’ve taken up the mantle for shining a light on mental health problems, all that other glittery stuff – Ferraris, Rolex watches – feels redundant, silly and a load of b*****ks.
That said, there’s a lot to be said for a 90s Mini… if only I could get in it.
I should have gone to Specsavers!