BLOG: The Voice UK’s Tom Fletcher ‘just cried’ after being diagnosed with health condition he’d suffered for decades
McFly legend Tom Fletcher previously revealed he had been diagnosed with a mental health condition. The star is making his debut as a coach on The Voice UK, along with his bandmate Danny Jones. The pair will be the ITV show’s first duo in the red seats.
Tom, 39, rose to fame in 2004 with the band and quickly became a household name. He had originally auditioned for band Busted, but lost out on the place to Charlie Simpson after the record label Island Records decided the band should be a trio rather than a four-piece.
He went on to join Busted’s songwriting team before finding his own success with McFly. But Tom has been open about his mental health struggles that have affected him since childhood.
Talking emotionally to Fearne Cotton, Tom recalled: “Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been highly emotional. I’d feel excited one moment, then the polar opposite the next. But I think everyone just thought that’s who I was.”
He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder – a mental health condition that affects your moods, which can swing from one extreme to another. For Tom, mood swings were not his only issue.
When enjoying his first glimpses of stardom, he explained that his weight “became an issue,” so much so that he stopped eating and “basically just drank coffee”. Speaking more about his mental health struggles, he said: “It was so unhealthy.
“Since then, more and more people have spoken out about their mental health.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Tom Fletcher
“I would struggle with down periods —I’m sure I was a nightmare to be with, but I kept much of it from Giovanna [his wife]. Like many men, quite often I would hide it from the people I was closest to.
“In late 2011, I watched a documentary by Stephen Fry called The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive. He shared his story of bipolar disorder and depression, and it sounded exactly like me. I just cried.”
Tom went to therapy and later received his diagnosis. He added: “I’d never thought about it being a definable mental health condition before, and I decided to speak to a therapist.
“For a long time, I still didn’t tell anyone about it. I was later diagnosed with bipolar. When I told my friend, Harry, he said: ‘Ahhh, that makes so much sense.’
“Since then, more and more people have spoken out about their mental health. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
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First Steps: emotional health and mental wellbeing advice and support guide https://www.healthysurrey.org.uk/mental-wellbeing/self-help/advice-and-support-guide
Self-help, Crisis and Local Support Resources https://www.healthysurrey.org.uk/mental-wellbeing
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