Dr Alex George has revealed for the first time that he came close to taking his own life two years ago.
The former Love Islander and mental health activist, 35, took to Instagram on Tuesday amid Mental Health Awareness Week to share some candid advice.
He told how he had ended up in a ‘dark place’ in 2024 but that running and leaning on his friends for support helped him onto a happier path.
Dr Alex has always been open about his mental health struggles and lost his younger brother Llyr to suicide in 2020.
In his new post Alex sat on the stairs of his London flat and said: ‘I’ve never shared this story until now. Two years ago I sat on these stairs and thought about ending my life. In fact I wanted to end my life. I was so agitated that I was scared.
‘I was scaring myself because I felt out of control. But I looked at Rolo (his dog) sat at the bottom of these stairs and said I have to try and stay. I gave myself the option – either I leave now or I go for a run.
‘And going on that run genuinely saved my life. It lifted me just enough so that when I came back I called my friend Adam, I asked for help. And that phone call led on to the changes that mean that I’m still sat on these stairs in my flat today. That is how close it came.
Dr Alex George has revealed for the first time that he came close to taking his own life two years ago
The former Love Islander and mental health activist, 35, took to Instagram on Tuesday amid Mental Health Awareness Week to share some candid advice
‘No one would have had a clue looking before or even after the crossroads I was at. I wanted to share this because Mental Health Awareness Week isn’t just about reducing shame and stigma, it’s genuinely about giving people hope.
‘Some days are really dark but better days are always on their way. No matter what you are deserving of life, you are loved and you should stay.’
He then penned in the caption of his video: ‘I’ve never shared this before and I wasn’t sure I ever would. The reality is I was in such a dark place and was so close to not being here anymore. People say running saved their life and in that moment, it genuinely saved mine.
‘That phone call changed the course of the evening and saved me. I am so glad I asked for help.
‘Please remember that whilst dark times do come, better days are always on their way. You are deserving of life. You are loved. You should stay.’
Back in December Dr Alex revealed the heartbreaking reason he was spending Christmas alone, five years after the death of his brother.
Alex has been open about how hard the loss was for him and his family and has since gone on to become a mental health advocate. Earlier this year, he also revealed he had been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
At Christmas, the star opened up about his decision not to spend the festive season with his family after the previous year’s festivities were ‘a car crash’. ‘This wasn’t an easy choice, and it’s definitely not something I took lightly,’ he wrote. ‘But it’s what feels right for me this year.’
Alex said that while Christmas is meant to feel ‘magical’, it can be really difficult when someone you love is missing from the table.
‘Christmas is supposed to feel magical, but if I’m honest I find it really difficult,’ he wrote in the caption. ‘Everything suddenly ramps up, the diary gets jam packed, there’s a lot of emotion, and constant reminders that someone is missing.’
Speaking in the video, Alex said: ‘The reason I am deciding to do this is because it was a car crash last Christmas.
‘I was struggling towards the end of the year. I’ve now been diagnosed with OCD and I think what I didn’t realise was the OCD was just in like a downward horrendous spiral and I went home for Christmas and it was in hindsight the worst thing to do because that house with my family, who I love to bits, was a toxic environment for someone who’s really struggling.
He told how he had ended up in a ‘dark place’ in 2024 but that running and leaning on his friends for support helped him onto a happier path
Dr Alex has always been open about his mental health struggles and lost his younger brother Llyr to suicide in 2020
‘Not because of the people, but when you’re really low sometimes being in a situation where other people are struggling and there’s a lot of emotion… and it can easily come across that I’m somehow like “my parents are the problem or I feel bad like they’ve caused the problem”.
‘They haven’t they’re just humans going through a difficult time.’
He added: ‘I think sometimes being around other people that are struggling can lift you but other times of year when you’ve got Christmas, the reminder that they’re not there and the time you’re supposed to be happy, all that stuff can make everything actually way worse.’
Alex went on to reveal he ended up back on medication that January after the tough festive period.
He added: ‘The reason I wanted to kind of share this with people is I think that we all would love to pretend that it’s all happy families and everyone’s happy at Christmas but actually Christmas can be one of the hardest times of the year.
‘I don’t think you’d be watching this video if you didn’t somehow relate to that and family dynamics are complex. People’s experience of suffering is complex and sometimes the combination of that isn’t good for you.’
Sharing advice for anyone relating to his story, Alex said: ‘And if you’re watching this right now and you’re in the place where you’re worried about a similar thing my advice to you would be plan early.
‘It may not be “I don’t wanna spend Christmas with you” it might just be boundaries like “Well if we can spend Christmas together I need to know that I have this time that I can go and do myself. I don’t wanna look at certain videos or things that are triggering or sit round looking at photo albums because that’s going to be hard for me”.
‘So I almost wanna say like hey you’re not alone. I get it. I do love Harry Potter and the Christmas stuff and the Christmas lights but I also find it really hard and you don’t have to like love or hate Christmas. Many things can exist at once and that’s okay.’
In 2023, Alex revealed he felt ‘a lot of guilt and shame’ after his younger brother took his own life, heartbreakingly admitting he wondered if he could have spotted any signs something was seriously wrong.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123 or visit: www.samaritans.org
