Brian Conley reveals his fight with depression!

Brian Conley has had to leave the jungle on ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’, due to exhaustion and malnutrition. This, of course, wasn’t the only reason. Brian later revealed that he has suffered from depression for the last 15 years and has taken anti-depressants for the same amount of time.

He made the decision to stop taking his medication whilst in the jungle, and quite rightly, the producers of the show got very concerned.It had been written in his contract that he take his medication daily or he wouldn’t be allowed to take part in the show. However, he ignored this clause, and for that the producers rightly pulled him from the show.

Coming off anti-depressants takes a little time and it needs to be done in measured stages and not just halted. It can lead to all kinds of unpleasant symptoms such as dizziness, so they did the right thing in protecting Brian’s health. Brian left the camp swiftly, which is a shame because I was really enjoying his time in there, and seems such a genuine and authentic person, unfortunately, after he was checked by the doctors in Australia, he ended up in hospital sedated. Thankfully he has made a full recovery.

I do applaud Brian Conley for making a really bold decision and I think he just thought that it was now or never and if he could handle his time in the jungle then he could handle anything.

On GMTV this morning, Lorraine Kelly spoke to Brian, in an, at times, rather emotional interview, where Brian revealed his secret of depression. I am so glad he did. This really highlights the subject and gets it out there to millions of people who still see it as a taboo subject. Brian proved that depression is not selective and that it is something anyone can suffer from, whether you are a famous name or not. He later told Lorraine that he was still not taking the medication and that he felt great.

It was obvious that Brian became emotional over the thought that somehow he had let his family down and spoke of how much he wanted to win the crown for his kids. But as he held back the tears (as did I), he told Lorraine that his youngest daughter was going to make him a scepter made of wood (something the winner of the show get to sport, along with a leafy crown). This, I feel, will mean a lot more to him than winning a game show.

Good on you Brian for bringing the subject of mental health back into the public eye. We need champions like you, you’re stronger that you think.