Nick Knowles, Paris Hilton and other celebs tweet about town man
TERRY HAS BEEN REACHING OUT TO THOSE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
GRIMSBYLIVE.CO.UK
A GRIMSBY man now has a long list of celebrity endorsements as he continues to break down barriers to encourage more people to talk about mental health.
Terry Birkett, 32, from Grimsby, has been acting as mental health ambassador throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
His work in supporting others has caught the eye of various celebrities including Paris Hilton, actor Lee Mead, singer Chesney Hawkes, TV presenter Yvette Fielding and Danniella Westbrook, to name a few.
Terry has been sharing videos and messages on social media, reaching out ut to those struggling with their mental al health or who just need a few words of support.
Thanking Terry for his hard work, Yvette Fielding said: “You’re never alone and yes lots of people keep things hidden.
“You’re doing a wonderful thing by posting your videos. Just think of all the people you will be reaching and helping.”
In agreement, Lee Mead said: “Well done for speaking out Terry. So hard to do at times. But so important that we talk about how we feel and what we are worried about. Especially us men. Northing macho about not talking.” Paris Hilton, Dynamo, Darren Day,
Calum Best, soap stars Shona McGarty and Reece Dinsdale, presenter Julie Bradbury, Nick Knowles Will Mellor among other celebrities also follow his mental health messages on Twitter. Terry says he has been shocked by the support he has received, and has thanked everybody who has taken the time to write to him. He said: “It’s nice to have them support mental health awareness as we have seen lots of people lose people close to their hearts through suicides.
“We need to break the silence and continue to get the message out there - ‘It’s OK not to be OK’. “You can feel like you’re in a dark place one day but tomorrow is always another day.”
Terry was sadly taken away from his mum and put into care at aged 11 – two years after the death of his dad.
After being placed in a home miles away from his mum and siblings, Terry tried to escape back to his hometown on many occasions. He said he couldn’t bear the thought of being away from his family.
Terry said: “When I was nine, I went through one of the worst moments of my life, when my dad passed away.
“This really hurt us all, but my mum was particularly down about it, because she had lost her partner and the father of her children.” He said social services made the decision to remove him from his mum because “she was unable to cope” with him and his other siblings.
However, this caused Terry to develop mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. He added: “There are times that I don’t even feel like I am able to
We need to break the silence and continue to get the message out there - ‘It’s OK not to be OK’. You can feel like you’re in a dark place one day but tomorrow is always another day
Terry Birkett
leave the house.”
Since then, Terry has been working to improve his mental health as well as support others through their own struggles.
“I do this to help people. If you have suffered with something, you might share similar experiences and can make a network to help people.
“It is so nice to see people supporting people.
“In Grimsby, I have met some lovely, supporting people recently and it is things like that you never forget – who has been there for you in your time of need.”