The One Show viewers were touched by the Duke of Cambridge's poignant words about mental health awareness as he appeared on the show on Thursday.
He was speaking ahead of his documentary, Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health, which is airing tonight on BBC1.
The Prince is bringing to light issues related to mental health, particularly during the pandemic, and aiming to break the stigma around discussing it.
He is using football to get men to discuss their mental health, as so often it can be harder for men to feel like they can talk openly about it.
Speaking via a video call, William said: "We've got this global pandemic which is unprecedented, it's scary, it's making a lot of people anxious and uncertain.
"I think the country as a whole is going to need a lot more support when it comes to their mental health.
"Momentum has been gathering, and we are slowly chipping away at the stigma that is mental health.
"I am still concerned about what I am hearing from the frontline, which is that some staff find it difficult in the NHS to talk about their mental health and be open about it, for a lot of reasons.
"We have made our NHS staff, rightly, heroes, but in doing so we once again give them the burden that we gave our soldiers fighting the war.
"They should rightly be hailed as superstars, and brave, and wonderful staff, but I'm very conscious from a mental health point of view that we don't alienate some of them, where they feel that once they have this 'hero' tag, they can no longer shake that and they can't ask for support, they have to be a strong pillar of strength."
He added that it was important frontline workers take care of themselves and do not become "broken".
He warned that coronavirus is creating a need for much better mental health support all over the country in the future.
One delighted viewer tweeted host Alex Jones: "Can't wait Alex! So important and glad Prince William got everyone together for this, using football for a lense will relate to so many people".
" @KensingtonRoyal fantastic hearing #PrinceWilliam talk of the mental health challenge we face during #COVID19 and beyond. Our students and staff will face the same and we must be brave enough to talk and listen to each other. We will be building this in to our support. @GMLO_UK " gushed another.
"This is the kind of role modelling we need," added a third.
"An important discussion that's needed," remarked a fourth.
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
* Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health airs tonight on BBC1 at 8:05pm.
