Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jasmine Allday

Nicky Campbell credits his dog with 'getting him through' his emotional breakdown

Nicky Campbell has credited his dog with getting him through his emotional breakdown.

The BBC and Long Lost Family star has been open about his own battle with his mental health, and previously recalled how he collapsed and started sobbing on a patch of grass outside London's Euston station one day.

And Nicky admits a lot of his journey to get better has involved his pet Labrador, who he credits with helping him through the toughest times, as he pens a new book about his dog being a part of the family.

In a chat with Susanna Reid and Ben Shepherd on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Nicky explained how his dog just knew something was wrong and instantly was the one to comfort him.

Nicky opened up about his mental health (ITV)

Speaking on the ITV show, he said: "Thinking about the mental health angle, because we've spoken about it - you've seen me at my best and seen me at my worse because we've been friends for a long time.

"I had a breakdown and was diagnosed with bipolar and Maxwell was incredible. He absolutely got me through it. When I had a breakdown and started crumpling and crying outside Euston station, my wife said come home to the girls and come home to us."

Nicky is a huge animal lover (Getty Images)

He added: "And I didn't want - with depression, you really don't want to articulate anything or speak to anyone, and I lay on the bed. I heard the tinkle of his collar and he came up and laid his head on me and honestly, he knew I was not right."

Nicky previously opened up about his bipolar diagnosis.

"When the psychiatrist said, ‘You’re bipolar, is anyone in your family bipolar?’, it all sort of clicked. That is what an adopted child looks for all their life, a connection to someone they don’t have. The recognition of the longing for some genetic link, and I found it," he explained in an exclusive interview with The Mirror last year.

Susanna has been a long time friend of Nicky's (ITV)

"She had these manic episodes and used to talk about the depths of despair sometimes."

Nicky also praised his wife for helping him through such a difficult time.

"She's my ­saviour, she’d seen it ­coming and had realised it had come to a head," he added, as he recalled her sorting him out with a doctors appointment and seeing a psychiatrist after his struggle.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.