Towie’s Chris Clark reveals he sank into deep depression and needed therapy like Mike Thalassitis after being axed from ITVBe show
The 23-year-old has opened up for the first time about his mental health to The Sun Online as he prepares to take on the London Marathon after running 'saved' him
EX-Towie star Chris Clark has revealed he sank into a deep depression and needed therapy like Mike Thalassitis after being axed from the ITVBe show.
The 23-year-old has opened up for the first time about his mental health to The Sun Online as he prepares to take on the in aid of .
He says running gave him a "reason to carry on" after he was dropped from the reality show last year alongside brother Jon.
"You get built up so much by people telling you how great you are," Chris told us.
"Instagram fuels that sort of importance, but then suddenly your likes start to drop and comments stop when you're not on TV.
"When you realise people aren't interested anymore it can affect you."
Chris spent four months suffering in silence before finally confiding in his parents.
He then contacted a therapist to talk through his issues.
"I disconnected myself," says Chris.
"I wouldn't engage with people. If my friends rung me, I wouldn't answer. I'd just stay in and shut myself in my room, I didn't want to socialise.
"It took a long time for me to open up and admit I wasn't in a good place.
"When I eventually did talk about how I felt, it was like I'd won half the battle because I wasn't alone.
"It was one of the reasons why I decided to take up the marathon because I wanted to achieve something.
"For me it was about trying to have certain things in your life that make you want to carry on.
"I always look back and think what if I hadn't told anyone and left it even longer? Things would have got even worse."
Chris has spent the past few months in training for the London Marathon, which he is running in support of .
It's a charity close to Chris' heart after his dad suffered a life-threatening fall at home and broke his back, leaving his family fearing he would be left paralysed.
"My dad's lucky to still be walking," said Chris.
"He has always been really active so it was a huge shock when he fell off a ladder trying to retrieve a toy for his granddaughter.
What is a spinal cord injury?
MEN are most at risk of spinal cord injury between the ages of 20-29 years and 70 years and older, according to the World Health Organisation.
Up to 90 oer cent of spinal cord injury cases are due to traumatic causes such as road traffic crashes, falls and violence.
Mike Milner, Chairman of nsif said: “We are enormously grateful to Chris for taking on this epic challenge. As many 500 000 people suffer a spinal cord injury each year, a leading cause of paralysis.
"Paralysis means more than life without walking, it takes away people’s independence.
"After injury, basic bodily functions like bladder, bowel and respiratory systems, can need life-long medical assistance, and often leads to financial difficulties.
"We believe in a future where there will be a cure for spinal injury, and we thank Chris for his support and wish him the best of luck for the marathon”.
Chris will aim to raise £5,000 for the charity. All money raised will go to funding pioneering research to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
You can support Chris' fundraising efforts on and keep up to date with his training on .
"The surgery was really complicated because the surgeon needed to remove pieces of his shattered vertebrae.
"He warned us that if at any point, one of the pieces of vertebrae touches the spinal cord, he could have been left paralysed.
"We were preparing for him to come home in a wheelchair."
After a ten-hour operation to put 12 pins in his back, Chris' dad is now walking again.
Determined to do some good after his family's ordeal, Chris is raising £5,000 for the charity, which is devoted to finding a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury.
Chris says being able to raise money for has given him a focus over the past few months and helped save his mental health.
It comes after Love Island star Mike Thalassitis was found dead in a park last month.
His death prompted the show to offer therapy to "all Islanders and not only those that reach out to us".
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Towie bosses have been praised for their support system available to stars by Clelia Theodorou and Shelby Tribble.
Chris added: "Towie has always given me support. If I've ever felt in a bit of a s****y place, I've always picked up the phone and rung the psychiatrist.
"Even now, they'll still message and ask how I'm doing and ask if they can give me a call."
Chris was one of ten Towie cast members to be axed ahead of the 24th series, including Myles Barnet, and Dean Ralph, Jordan Wright.
Chris added: "Me and my brother Jon are probably the happiest we've been in three or four years since coming out of Towie.
"We're in a more positive world."
- You can donate to Chris' page and keep up to date with his training on .
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