Louis de Bernières, the bestselling author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, struggled with the fame that came with the success of the book. He found the attention crippling and it was 10 years before he could write for enjoyment again. Louis also talks about his anger issues triggered by a custody battle to see his children. […]
Videos
Related content
Captain Corelli fame crippled me, Louis de Bernières
Hope gives you everything, António Ferreira
As a teenager, António Ferreira felt huge pressure at school to succeed, and started suffering pseudo seizures, auditory hallucinations and paranoia. He describes it as a boulder on his back that he couldn’t lift or get rid of, and he had planned to take his life before an intervention. Through a long recovery process, he […]
Finding your own personal Everest, Alex Staniforth
Adventurer Alex Staniforth turned to outdoor sports as a teenager as a way of counteracting a lack of self-confidence caused by a bad stutter, mild epilepsy and anxiety. Immediately he felt like he had found his calling… until he was injured and the resulting time off led to an eating disorder. Alex tells of how […]
Expressing feelings through fashion, George Hodgson
After a teenage episode with drugs triggered physical and mental side effects, including frequent panic attacks, George Hodgson started experiencing suicidal thoughts. He found therapy hugely beneficial in tackling his OCD and other issues, but telling people his story has been one of the best ways of alleviating his anxiety. George has founded a fashion […]
Crystal healing, Molly Bean-Harding
After years of chronic pain from debilitating illnesses, and trying a number of different medical and alternative treatments, Molly Bean-Harding tried meditation with crystals and found the combination to be transformative. She uses the crystals to give intention to her regular meditation practice, as a focus point for the energy. Molly says: “It’s easiest to […]
Spotlighting social issues, Dominic Streeter
Filmmaker Dominic Streeter wants to shine a spotlight on social problems through his work. This year, he will release a film on men’s mental health, called Feel the Burn, featuring a retired firefighter suffering from PTSD and suicide ideation, and looking at masculinity, macho environments, and how we can have more empathy. Dom also talks […]
Listen to the right voices online, Phil Clifton
TV and radio presenter Phil Clifton is a comedy creator, who runs several popular, global content platforms. He says that running these accounts has opened his eyes into the dynamics and the relationship that you have with social media and the impacts of that on your mental health. “Social media can be an incredible way […]
How do we talk about grief?, Ola Pelo
After losing her mother, Ola Pelo felt lost with her grief. She was pregnant with her second child and was at a crossroads work-wise. She made the leap to run her own business, to fulfil her passion for storytelling and content. She tells us how she tried to navigate her grief while raising a young […]
The joy of sobriety, Millie Gooch
Almost four years ago, Millie Gooch gave up alcohol to save her rapidly declining mental health. When she first stopped drinking, she couldn’t find support and a community that reflected her experience of sobriety – most were related to recovery programmes. So she founded Sober Girl Society, a growing community who are either committed to […]
Vulnerability pays off, Paul McGregor
When Paul McGregor was 18, his father took his own life. He had been treated for depression and sectioned for a while after a previous attempt, but Paul and his family were still totally unprepared. From his father’s first trip to the doctor to his death was only six months. “My dad was very good […]
Every suicide is unnecessary, Owen Paterson MP
In 2020, Rose Paterson took her own life. She had never spoken of depression, never been on medication, and had never mentioned her pain to her family. She went missing one day, and when they found her body, the Patersons’ world collapsed. “It is incomprehensible that she could have torn herself away from this,” says […]
Make sure your own cup is full, Liana Cornell
Actress and filmmaker Liana Cornell was drawn to environmental issues from an early age, helped by her unconventional upbringing as the child of filmmakers. She wanted to use her platform as an actress to shine a spotlight on environmental organisations whose work might not have been known. But the work left her drained and burned […]