Aaron Lennon bravely opens up about his personal battle with mental health and suicidal thoughts

Ex-Prem player Aaron Lennon bravely opens up about his personal battle with mental health and having suicidal thoughts on The Overlap.

The 37 year old appeared on the latest episode to discuss the realities of life as a footballer. They open up about their role models, the mental health challenges they faced during their career.

A snippet of the interview was tweeted and it’s since done the rounds online, raising awareness, helping others who are struggling themselves…

“If I didn’t get sectioned, I probably wouldn’t be here…” 💔@AaronLennon12 bravely opens up about his personal battle with mental health. pic.twitter.com/Ov86rKxc7L

— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) October 28, 2024

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, we encourage you to explore resources at https://t.co/HVED5mVMx6. For urgent help, contact NHS 111 online or call 116 123 to speak to Samaritans.

— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) October 28, 2024

Jamie Carragher: We’re here for Movember, Aaron you’ve been really open about your mental health challenges, can you just open up a little bit on your story?

Aaron: Seven years ago I was in a really really bad place like severe depression and it probably actually started before that, but I actually at the time didn’t know what was going on, just waking up each day not realising why am I feeling this way, why the energy is low not really wanting to join him with the lads in training, not want to join in with banter, but I didn’t notice at the time, so I just and I was one of them quite old school person ,I am quite keep yourself to yourself and I used to always try and look after everyone else there was never a time where I thought should I go and ask like tell the doc ‘I’m not feeling all right here’ so I just tried to just push it aside and I was just getting worse and worse…

Ian Wright: Was there anything that pinpointed that I know you just what you just started to feel down?

Aaron: At the time I just like I said feeling lower and lower, not things and getting then get to a stage where you can’t even get out of bed, just not want to be around people, just want to be in the dark, not want to see anyone and I would just putting on a mask, so I could like I could walk into a room and you’d think he’s fine I could go away and go oh ‘yes lads you alright nice one’ do my training and get off but then I’d go home and literally just get back in bed and I did that for a long period of time and it got to like the last just before when I was at Everton, probably the last 10 days of that honestly I was struggling to get out of bed I was struggling to I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t function

Jamie: At what stage did you know it’s mental health and not, you know I’m just having a bad few days, how long through did you you realise this was something serious?

Aaron: So at the time I’m like ‘this will pass’, I’m not sleeping, I’m not enjoying football, I’m not enjoying off the pitch, I’m not even enjoying like I said a night out or whatever with the lads anymore, by the time I’m just like this will pass this will pass I’ll be alright

Ian: Do you think that comes down to the competitive brain, in respects of us playing football and saying I just got blast through this?

Aaron: Yeah. Just like me I’ll get through this, I don’t need any help I’ll deal with this and and I’m one them as well I didn’t want to put it on anyone else didn’t want to ring with Dad, didn’t want to ring with family, I’ve got good friends, good family, good Mum and Dad, and I was like no I thought this something got to a stage where I was like suicidal thoughts, like said couldn’t get out of bed, so eventually like said I got assessed and I was sectioned, I was literally put in the hospital, I still wouldn’t have gone in and that’s what I told people to this day, like if I didn’t get sectioned I probably won’t be here having this conversation, so like I said they done me so much by putting me in the hospital

Jamie: How tough did you find it to speak to someone about it and who was the first person you spoke to?

Aaron: So obviously the club realised I’m not I wasn’t even making training anymore so the doc comes around they start sending people to assess you I didn’t want to have conversation with them, I couldn’t even grasp it, I was so far gone honestly my mind was literally on a completely different planet like, I wouldn’t it’s such a scary place to be in because you can’t rationalise actually what is going on do you know what I mean you just can’t figure out what so you see where

Ian: So when you when you say that then Aaron what would you say to people now yeah when you say at what stage of this point where you are at where you say you need to speak to somebody at this stage

Aaron: As early as possible once you start to realise there going on so I’ve worked back now I’ve worked with therapists and stuff, my first one of the biggest triggers for me was knowing was sleep so for some reason at all I’d started to really struggle with sleep, that was one of the first key pillars I would say to people how are you sleeping, so if I speak to people now say how you sleeping because that’s normally a sign of that some in the mind’s not going and that was one of the things because I was one of them, I could sleep anywhere any afternoon any night I would nap, I would got finish training, 2 hours nap, go to bed 12 hours and all of a sudden I was going to bed and literally just couldn’t sleep and that was one of the first warnings, after that it was like losing, didn’t want to join in with stuff. didn’t want to didn’t want to even go training

Ian: What about food was you still eating and stuff

Aaron: It affects everything so then you get to that stage by the end point literally you’re not doing anybody so you’re not sleeping you’re not eating you’re not exercising you’re not drinking then it’s just a spiral

Az is a top man and this interview will help so many men out there who are struggling! Well done brother for speaking up.. Men WE ALL NEED to follow suit.. #SpeakUp #MentalHealth https://t.co/rl8eSES9J6

— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) October 28, 2024

Here’s how fans reacted as Aaron Lennon bravely opens up about his personal battle with mental health and suicidal thoughts…

@1878: Very brave. Well done for opening up @AaronLennon12

@cdy20137694: That’s difficult to listen to…. brave stuff @AaronLennon12…. glad you got the help you needed. 🙏

@RichardMorgans1: Brave and brilliant. Well done. 👏👏👏👏👏👏

@huddz50: Very proud of you Aaron ….. I’m sure you opening up about mental health will help a lot of people ….. well done ❤️❤️❤️❤️

@chrisMUFCcoffey: 🫡🫡 Aaron Lennon 🔴⚪️⚫️

@abowley: Strong, brave, massive respect @AaronLennon12 true role model and thank you for all the amazing memories as a player #COYS

@stormin107: Thank God he got the help he needs that sounds terrible not knowing why your down like that

@avfcholteL4: You don’t realise how many people you are helping by talking about this Aaron! What a guy ❤️

@JulieHob1878: So wonderfully brave from @AaronLennon12 to speak openly like this about his mental health, in the hope it can do some good for even just one person to get the help they need 💙 It’s good to talk! 🙏