'Looking for a bridge to crash into' Repair Shop's Jay Blades on personal life struggles

express.co.uk:

Jay Blades, 52, has spoken about how he has recently come to terms with being more open about his mental health and no longer feels the need to hide his vulnerability.The Repair Shop star admitted that taking care of his mental and physical health was the best decision he had ever made, emphasising that others need to do the same instead of "bottling everything up".The TV show host has been on the Repair Shop since it began in 2017 and has become a firm favourite with viewers.Using his platform to raise mental health awareness, Jay has opened up about his own struggle with depression prior to his big break on the BBC.Jay was asked in a recent interview what the best decision he ever made was, and the presenter revealed it was taking care of himself.He said: "To look after my mental and physical health; to get checked when I need to get checked, and to not be afraid to ask for help if I need support."A lot of people suffer in silence, and they need to ask for help."Seven years ago I was driving up the motorway looking for a bridge to crash into, having bottled everything up", he told The Daily Telegraph.This is not the first time Jay has opened up about his mental health struggles, as he has been open about being suicidal back in darker times.Speaking to the Radio Times in May, Jay revealed: "I don’t have an issue with talking about my mental health."It became a problem for me because I didn’t.

I grew up with a macho idea that you should hide your vulnerability."Women get that, but they’ve moved on, emotionally, ten times faster than men.”Jay then went on to talk about the first time he ever showed this vulnerability, when his mental health deteriorated after the breakdown of both his first marriage and his business.The.