Paddy 'the Baddy' joins mental health fight

UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett has joined Liverpool FC's mental health campaign.

In a video released by the club, Paddy "the Baddy" from Huyton, Liverpool, spoke of a close friend taking his own life and said it was "shocking" that it happens every 90 minutes in the UK.

The 31-year-old has urged men to speak out on World Mental Health Day, as he said he had had his own mental health struggles.

The lifelong Liverpool fan said: "I thought about suicide a couple of times" but added "I'm glad I'm here".

The fighter said: "I was like, I'm meant to be the hardest one in the room... I can't go speak to anyone about this.

"To man up, bottle it up and not say anything is just sewn into our being."

He added: "There are a lot of lads I know over the past 10 years who've taken their own lives and it's crazy when you think about it because Scousers are the most happy-go-lucky people in the world.

"Every 90 minutes someone takes their own life, that's just absolutely shocking.

"My whole family supports Liverpool. Hearing that they are taking suicide prevention so seriously and they've got the hub now on a match day, I think it's a great idea because when you come to the match it's like a safe place."

The Reds have launched a permanent Kicking Off Conversations hub at Anfield, run by the club's official charity, LFC Foundation.

The club said the hub, the first of its kind in the Premier League, provides a "safe, welcoming and confidential space" on every home match day.

Former Liverpool goalkeeper and foundation ambassador Chris Kirkland also spoke about mental health as part of the campaign.

He said: "I've been there, where I've thought there is no way out, and I was lost, I was scared.

"My biggest regret is I never spoke up sooner, you have got to tell your partner, tell your family, tell your friends."

Paul Newell, a participant in the LFC Foundation, said: "This is where a lot of people go wrong, they are not opening up to each other - if I would have carried on bottling it up, I think I would have took my own life by now."

And LFC Foundation co-ordinator Mark Henderson said: "I think we need to start talking to ourselves, as if we would with our best mate.

"This club saved my life, it gave me a reason to keep going.

"We always talk about you'll never walk alone, and being a part of this club, this family, but it's time we practise what we preach."

If you are affected by issues raised in this article, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.

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