The Belfast Grime Man has hailed a South Belfast boxing gym for helping him to overcome mental health struggles.
Alan Braniff, also known as the Belfast Grime Man, became an internet sensation after thousands of people watched his raps that highlighted issues he has faced in his life, such as coping with the death of his mum and how this impacted his mental health.
The Shankill Road rapper told Belfast Live that around a year ago he began having further issues with his mental health and began looking at ways to improve this and after joining The Cornerstone Boxing Gym on Ravenhill Road he says that he has never felt better.
Read more: Watch Belfast rapper's emotional tribute to his late mum who died of cancer
The gym was founded by 30-year-old Jordan Woods who has also overcome difficulties in his life after becoming addicted to drugs at a young age, and now wants to provide an outlet for others to overcome their demons.
Alan said: "As people can probably tell from my music, I have had my struggles with mental health and drugs over the years and had never really found a way to overcome them until I started to get back into my boxing.
"I had fought for a bit when I was younger but fell back from the sport for a few years, but always wanted to get back into it.
"I actually ended up coming across Cornerstone by chance after recording some music in the studio above it. About a year prior I had been messaging Jordan asking him about getting into boxing again and when I came into the gym for the first time I was shocked to see that he was running it.
"Since then I have not looked back and have been coming down to the gym multiple times a week and am getting ready for my first fight in seven years in a few weeks time.
"The boost this has given my mental health has been amazing, I have never felt better in my life. I have stopped drinking and this has given me a real focus again which I plan to channel into future music."
Alan also said that his brother, who has also gone through difficulties in the past, is attending the gym with him and has also started to turn his life around.
Jordan said that boxing gave him a new lease of life after suffering with addiction problems from an early age and that he hopes it can do the same for others.
He said: "I became involved with drugs and alcohol at a young age and it ended up completely taking over my life in the years that followed.
"It got so bad that I found myself stealing from others in order to fund my habit which had a big impact on my relationships with friends and family.
"But boxing gave me the focus and drive to come away from all of that and after completing a coaching course at Belfast Met I was able to start helping others get into the sport and putting on shows and fights of my own.
"The name of the gym, Cornerstone, has a symbolic meaning as the sport has given us strength and we feel at home whenever we are here training. It also symbolises how returning to church and renewing my faith in Jesus helped me to overcome the problems I was facing.
"We want to welcome people from all cultures and backgrounds here to the gym and we are running classes for beginners, children, women and experienced boxers with the hopes of bringing people together and building a community that supports one another."
The next Cornerstone Boxing event will be held at the La Mon Hotel on June 30.
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