Image Credit: ITV
Stan Collymore featured in GMB’s mental health debate, reflecting on his past experiences of depression during his football career.
The ex-footballer first opened up in 1999 about his illness and is considered one of the first sportspeople to do so in the UK.
Mental health doesn’t have the same stigma it has back in 1999 when Stan Collymore first opened up. Collymore describes the difference as “black and white” when talking to the Mirror.
Collymore explains on GMB, “At Aston Villa football club before I sought help I went to see a clinical psychologist… he said if you go out and score a couple of goals at the weekend against Fulham you’ll feel better. I wasn’t happy with that, it was ridiculous.”
The ex-footballer clashed with Piers Morgan during the mental health debate who remarked, “I don’t like the way having a stiff upper lip has been offensive”.
Piers then questioned whether the issue was down to mood swings, which a lot of young footballers experience “depending on how they’re performing.”
Collymore replied, “Of course they [young footballers] do, but this is not a mood swing, this is a serious mental illness.”
In response to earlier criticism from Piers, Collymore explains, “I heard the man up comments from Piers the other day. If I was on a football pitch and had a compound fracture and my bones were crossing each other, you wouldn’t be able to say man up and run it off, it’s exactly the same with a mental health issue.”
Piers’ views on mental health have had a backlash on social media, where many strongly disagree with his opinions, labelling them as ‘abhorrent’, while Collymore received praise for his elegant responses urging mental health to be treated seriously.
You can watch the full debate here: https://www.itv.com/hub/good-morning-britain/2a3211a2012
