Earlier this morning the real reason behind Love Island’s Chris Hughes’ L’Eau de Chris endorsement was revealed. And it’s very important.
Chris has teamed with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and Topman on a mission to get men to open up about their mental health.
Chris shared his campaign video on Instagram and wrote: “L'Eau de Chris? No, ludicrous. It's ludicrous that men bottle up their emotions every single day. And ludicrous that suicide is the biggest killer of young men in the UK. We live in a culture that encourages men to bottle up rather than open up. That's why I'm proud to have worked with @topman and @calmzone to change that. However you open up this #WorldMentalHealthDay, just #DontBottleItUp'.
The Love Island star also joined representatives from CALM and Topman for a Facebook live to launch the #DontBottleItUp campaign, where they discussed the importance of ‘opening up, not manning up’ when it comes to struggles with anxiety and mental health.
During the live video Chris broke down in tears when speaking about his own initial struggle with suffering in silence.
“I suffered silently initially and that was the issue, there's the phrase 'suffering silently' and that's where things were tough for me, when I opened up to my mum things became easier and stuff..." he explained, before he became visibly emotional and unable to continue with the question.
Watch the video here.
Chris also opened up to heatworld about the ‘darker times’, and how his stint on Love Island helped him to overcome some of his own struggles.
“I was [nervous about Love Island], but I was so preoccupied while I was in there, so thankfully it didn’t actually affect me - but I thought it could have done.”
He continued: “It has come back a couple of times but I know now how to deal with it, and I know where to get help.
“I am open about my emotions and I don’t think that men should bottle up, it’s a very stereotypical thing that men need to ‘man up’ and get on with life.
“But it’s a strength to show emotion – it’s not a weakness. The more open you are about your feelings the better the situation will become. And that’s what we’re trying to get people to do. You can speak to people on the phone, to people at Calm, to friends and family.”
Chris also revealed, despite some setbacks since leaving the villa, his girlfriend Olivia Attwood has been a strong support system.
“You know there’ve been times since coming out [of the villa] that have been tough, and when I’ve had a bit of anxiety come on, but now I’ve been through the worst patch years ago, but you do get reoccurrences.
“And having someone to support you, like Olivia, is good because you don’t have to go through it alone.”
Chris is and ambassador for CALM and their #DontBottleItUp campaign