Olympic hero Dame Kelly Holmes has revealed how she self-harmed.
Speaking out to support an armed forces loneliness at Christmas campaign, the former middle distance runner and ex-Army sergeant told how she had “a massive breakdown” in 2003, just a year before her double-gold win in Athens.
Kelly, 49, said: “I hated myself, I didn’t want to be here. I looked in the mirror, saw scissors, started to self-harm. I was in a really bad place. I was depressed.
“There were a couple of times that I spent Christmas alone. It was a lonely and hard time.”
“I just had no idea who to speak to. At that time it was really difficult because of course not telling anyone isn’t a great thing – you can’t get help, you can’t express your feelings, you can’t allow people to take the worry off you – but I realise now you CAN get help if you ask for it.
“When half of you is dying but half of you is trying to live, because actually you know you can be good at something still, you have to fight and battle through that.
"There IS help out there, there’s always someone that will listen to you – you just have to have it within you to ask for it.”
The campaign is run by armed forces charity the SSAFA.
It said nearly 25% of service personnel are experiencing loneliness over the festive season.
Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year.
If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org .
