It might be one of the most heartbreaking moments of the year. I am a famous person.
Danny JonesMcFly’s singer and guitarist and newly crowned King of the Jungle, has opened up to his campers about his never-ending battle with depression since he was 19.
In an emotional performance last month, the 38-year-old popstar admitted he was ‘constantly worried’ and detailed the terror attack he once faced on television.
But Jones isn’t the only member of the four-piece musical icon to have struggled with their mental health.
From addictions to prescription painkillers, to eating disorders, to bipolar – favorite killers have overcome significant problems.
One member of the band who has long spoken out about mental health issues is the lead singer and guitarist. Tom Fletcher – husband of social media influencer and podcaster; Giovanna Fletcher.
More than a decade later, in 2012, 39-year-old Fletcher wrote in his autobiography of McFly, ‘The Obsession with Being the Fat One in the Band’.
‘I wanted to. Weight lossBut instead of rationalizing it, I stopped eating. “I went to Starbucks and ordered a Frappuccino and a Blueberry Muffin and that was me for the day,” he said in his book, Unsaid Things.
Danny Jones He is the second McFly member to be crowned King of the Jungle, following in the footsteps of Dougie Poynter who won the title in 2011.
The McFly star broke down as he discussed his mental health with his neighbors, revealing he has been in treatment since he was 19.
If I ate something else, not only would I kick myself, but I’d be in a bad mood if we worked somewhere that didn’t have a Starbucks. It was an obsession – and a very unhealthy one.’
Fletcher tells readers about a life-changing mental health diagnosis.
In the year In 2011, after struggling with depression for over a year, he was referred to a private psychiatric clinic, The Priory.
However, doctors there knew he had bipolar disorder – a mental health condition characterized by extreme mood swings, such as dizziness and disabling lows.
In the year In a 2020 interview, Fletcher said he would always be ‘very emotional’.
“One moment I feel happy, then the polar opposite the next. But, I think everyone thinks that’s who I am.”
In the year In late 2011, I watched a documentary called The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive by Stephen Fry. He shared a history of bipolar disorder and depression, and it sounded just like me. I just cried.’
He admits to being afraid to tell anyone about his emotional problems. ‘I still didn’t tell anyone about it for a long time. I was later diagnosed with bipolar. When I told my friend Harry, he said, “Ahhhh, that makes so much sense.”
The four-piece band have all dealt with various mental health issues – from drug addiction to eating disorders.
Since then, more and more people are talking about their mental health. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.’
Fletcher says being a dad to Booth, 10, Buddy, eight, and Max, six, has benefited his mental health immensely.
“Having kids was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. 2020 Interview, As part of a charity campaign with McDonald’s.
‘They have taught me more about myself than I thought possible. Parenting helps you to be selfish, because you don’t care about anything like them.
‘Since becoming a father my mental health is at its best ever. Being a children’s author is another part of that – I love watching my kids get lost in a good book.’
Bass player Dougie Poynter has also had his fair share of psychiatric battles – and he’s spoken out about them bravely in order to offer support to others facing similar demons.
In the year In 2012, months after the now 37-year-old was crowned King of the Jungle, Poynter appeared on Alan Carr’s Chatty Man and told the host that he had tried to take his own life last year due to problems with drugs and alcohol.
“It’s very therapeutic, it’s scary and a little bit of an eye-opener to go back and see how dark it can be if you take your foot off the gas and stop taking care of yourself,” Poynter said.
In the year Dougie Poynter, shown here in 2021, had two seasons in recovery. One of the in 2011 following a suicide attempt to get clean from drugs and alcohol and another in 2018 to deal with a Valium addiction.
At the start of McFly, Tom’s weight ‘became a problem’ and he ‘basically drank coffee’. Tom recalls: ‘It wasn’t very healthy. ‘It Was Struggling With Your Period’ (The Band Appearing in 2005)
Drummer Harry Judd added: ‘If you didn’t know what you were doing half the time – we’d tell you.’
‘Yes, because I was so beaten,’ replied Poynter.
However, recovery has not been an easy journey for the Essex-born musician. Four years later, he became addicted to the sedative drug Valium, which lasted for two years.
After the intervention of his bandmates, Poynter went to rehab and thought he agreed to go to the treatment center ‘without fuss’, although he doesn’t remember for sure.
In various interviews, the star admitted that the drug left ‘huge gaps’ in his memory.
Speaking of his experience of addiction on Mend He said on a podcast last year: ‘When I couldn’t connect with any sense of self, I didn’t know who I was, which was terrifying, I felt like a lone world traveler who knew no one, like an af*** king stranger. The king was terrifying.
Drummer Harry Judd says exercise is his therapy, having struggled with depression for most of his adult life. Pictured here after running the 2024 London Marathon.
Izzy and Harry Judd are proud parents to Lola, 7, Keith, 5, and Loki, 3.
Poynter is now very public about his ongoing recovery, and often shares clips with his 680,000 Instagram followers that see him reviewing alcohol-free drinks and bars.
The band’s drummer Harry Judd, now 38, is no stranger to mental health struggles.
In the year In 2020, his wife, 40-year-old violinist Izzy Judd, told the Daily Mail that she suffered from ‘episodes’ of depression – symptoms Izzy also experienced.
The following year, the dancing champion admitted that he had ‘suffered from depression throughout my adult life’ in a campaign for Mental Health Awareness Week.
“Anxiety is very isolating and sometimes you lose yourself.
I was afraid to share my feelings in those moments.
The father-of-three added: “It’s easy to forget that our mental well-being is just as important as our physical health.
“If you’ve broken a bone, you need medical help, but many people are reluctant to seek support for their mental health.
‘I fully understand the courage it took to speak up, but asking for help was the best thing I ever did.’
Jude’s ‘therapy’, according to his wife, is exercise. ‘ He goes to the gym. If I see signs of anxiety coming on, I cook him a nutritious meal, make him drink plenty of water, encourage him to go for a run.’
