Singer Simon Webbe has spoken about breaking down the stigmas surrounding suicide and mental health following his brother’s recent passing.
On 23 January, the former Blue member posted a photo of his brother on Instagram, revealing that he had sadly taken his own life two months prior.
Webbe expressed his desire to increase awareness about mental health in the caption, urging his followers to “please be brave and talk”.
In a new interview with OK! Magazine, the singer explained that his brother’s death taught him about the “taboo” that surrounds suicide, and the need for society to break it down.
“I’ve actually been off social media until recently because I sadly lost my brother to suicide almost two months ago,” he said.
“It is something that is taboo. It’s taught me that people just need to be honest about what they need personally.”
The singer continued, saying that it’s important for people to reach out to their loved ones to check that they’re ok.
“We need to stop being afraid and stop looking for validation,” he said.
“We need to ask people if they are actually okay, start healing and accept who we are, the troubles that we have and talk about it.”
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, charity Campaign Against Living Miserably states.
In 2015, 75 per cent of all suicides in the UK were men.
While male suicides in the UK recently fell to their lowest rate in 30 years, TV presenter Matt Johnson believes more needs to be done to encourage men suffering from mental health issues to speak openly about their struggles.
"Suicide is still the biggest killer of young men, so while discussions may be happening in magazines, on TV and in the cities, I’m not sure the message is getting thought in rural parts of Wales, the valleys where I come from, for example," Johnson recently told The Mirror.
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
