ITV Podcast launched as Britain Gets Talking

ITV Podcast launched as Britain Gets Talking

Stars open up in new series as part of mental wellness campaign

News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby, Daytime host Lorraine Kelly and actor Jason Watkins are among the stars taking part in a new podcast launched today.

The Britain Get Talking Podcast' is a series of conversations around the topic of mental wellness. In the first episode, available to download from today, ITV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby describes how he had a complete meltdown two years ago which meant he had to take three months off work. He tells of his first panic attack which caused him to lie on his office floor so he could recover enough to present News at Ten. He also reveals that he discussed his mental health with Prince William and Prince Harry.

Tom says Although it was a pretty horrible part of my life, Im also extremely grateful for it because when you get into a position where youve melted down to that degree, all normal life comes to a stop. You basically have to shut down your operating systems and reboot them in healthier ways and it makes you psychologically much stronger and much more able to deal with what life throws at you.

The podcast has been launched to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week. It's presented by Kylie Pentelow who says The ITV Britain Get Talking campaign encourages people to open up and connect and this is exactly what we aim to do in this podcast. I hope that hearing people in the public eye discuss their mental wellbeing will help others feel happy to do the same.

Britain Get Talking is an ITV mental wellness initiative supported by charities Mind and YoungMinds. Connecting with others is one of the key ways we can proactively look after our mental health. Since its return on 21st March, Britain Get Talking has seen over 6.1 million people take immediate action to text or call a friend or family. It has been found in independent research to be voted the most emotionally engaging ad in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, and has been seen by over 70% of adults in the UK, with an outpouring of support from over 100 celebrity faces and featuring over 300 members of the public.

The Britain Get Talking Podcast is available from all podcast platforms including Apple, Spotify & Google Podcasts. You can also find it on itv.com/BritainGetTalking.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Other quotes from Tom Bradby within the podcast include:

I would be incredibly surprised if millions of people all over the country arent experiencing low level anxiety, sort of pretty much all the time.

Id been going steadily downhill since my mother had died 6 years before. Arguably this is something Id been building up my whole life.

ITV and ITN were really exceptional about it. I never felt like I shouldnt be doing this or I was putting my career in jeopardy or I was being seen as a shirker or any of those things.

Well I think anyone who says that the stigma surrounding mental health has gone away is living in dreamland frankly - the reason for that I dont think is deliberate prejudice its just sort of fundamental ignorance.

What William and Harry had done made a big difference to me and I later said to both of them - look, that really did make a big difference to me personally - the things that you said definitely made it easier for me to say to my employer, look Im not well and Ive got to take 3 months off.

LINK:	https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-podcast-launched-br...
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