‘A light at the end of the tunnel’ – Men talk about how therapy has helped them
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Sky Sports and Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas is the latest public figure to talk about how therapy has helped him.

Simon told how he and his 12-year-old son had counselling for two years after his wife died from cancer.

He told The Sun: “We both benefited from having people to talk to and we both spent two years working with our individual counsellors.” He described his son’s counsellor as “amazing.”

Some 79% of men believe it’s more socially acceptable to discuss the topic of mental health compared to five years ago, compared to 87% of women, according to our Public Perceptions survey carried out with YouGov earlier this year.

But there are plenty of famous men who have spoken publicly  about their mental health struggles and how counselling has helped them over the past few years.

Tom Grennan 

Singer-songwriter Tom Grennan said therapy offered him a "light at the end of a tunnel", as he opened up about his mental health battles.

He told the BBC: "Behind closed doors I've had hard times and seeking help was massively important.

"People might look at me as a celebrity and think everything is fine", but there had been "some very dark days where I needed help", he added.

Tom urged others to seek NHS help for their mental health concerns as part of a national campaign.

Greg James

The BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show host spoke about going for therapy during a national fund-raising broadcast for Comic Relief back in 2019.

He said “The last couple of weeks I have not been feeling that great, every now and then. I have been struggling a little bit. I had quite a bad anxiety attack last night.

“I always think that I am very fortunate that I have an amazing family, a brilliant wife, an amazing mum and dad, loads of brilliant friends near me who can always pick me up.

“I do actually go and see a therapist and I am lucky enough to be able to afford to do that.”

Read more about Greg James talking about therapy.

Danny Murphy

Former Liverpool player Danny Murphy told how therapy helped him get through a difficult period of his life following his retirement from professional football.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2021, he described how he had struggled with depression.

“It was a horrendous place until a mix of professional therapy and support from loved ones helped me back.”

He added: “I embraced professional therapy and it was the start of my recovery.”

Danny described his initial attitude to seeking help – and how that’s now changed.

He said: “I’d spent my whole life thinking it was weak to ask for help. I grew up with three older brothers and the culture was, ‘Don’t cry’. Footballers generally have big egos. 

“I didn’t want to accept feeling vulnerable, whereas now I realise it’s actually stronger to reach out and be grabbed than go under on your own.”

Describing how therapy helped he said: “Therapy stops you blaming yourself for feeling bad and starts to analyse why.”

Chris Mears

The Olympic gold medal winning diver told BBC Breakfast how therapy helped him through his post-Olympics depression.

He said: "After winning gold in Rio, it was so amazing. It was like all your wildest dreams coming true. Then, for me, it just came crashing down.

“For years I told myself I’ll be happy when I get this and I’ll be happy when I get that and when I get to this position I’ll be happy.

“I got it and then I wasn’t.

"I went into quite a deep depression. For me, what helped was therapy.

"As a man, I’m saying we don’t talk enough about mental health. It is starting to happen, it’s so important. A lot of women are more open to talking about stuff.

“Men, we go 'all right, lads, we'll be fine’.”

Chris told how he found a therapist by searching on the internet.

"I need it so badly," he said. "That was all it took for me. That was my first step and I do not regret it."

Ronan Keating

The Boyzone star has spoken about how seeks help from a therapist whenever he’s “feeling fragile”.

He added: “My wife can tell if maybe I’m overstressed, I’m working too hard, things are getting on my back or maybe it’s a certain date that reminds me of something that’s happened or someone’s passed away.”

He said on these occasions he would speak to his therapist Dan.

Ronan added: “He gives me tools. I learn how to use those tools, take them home and maybe be a better person.”

Read more about Ronan Keating talking about therapy

Felix White

Musician and writer Felix White, known for being part of the Macabees and in the BBC cricket podcast Tailenders wrote about his experience of counselling for Therapy Today's It Changed My Life Column.

He explained how he told his therapist that he was struggling to form close relationships and described how he felt following his therapy sessions.

“Every week I leave Lisa’s almost giggling, as if some knot has been undone. It is a mammoth relief to have a place to at least explore all of these things without the fear of something disappearing, away from judgment; to play with them and then use or dismiss each theory.”

Read Felix White’s It Changed My Life column.

To find a counsellor or psychotherapist who can help you visit our Therapist Directory.