A LOVE Island legend has revealed his heart-breaking reason for choosing to spend Christmas alone, without his family, in a moving post.
Dr Alex George was left completely devastated in 2020 after
Dr Alex George has revealed the heart-breaking reason he’s chosen to spend Christmas alone without his familyCredit: Instagram
Alex revealed last Christmas was a car crash for himCredit: Instagram
Alex featured in the fourth series of the ITV reality show Love Island back in 2018Credit: Rex Features
The NHS doctor has since been frank in conversations surrounding mental health and grieving.
Now, the 34-year-old, who featured in the fourth series of the has revealed he won’t be going home for Christmas this year, in an emotional video.
took to and said: “I’m not spending Christmas with my family this year and I wanted to make a video to explain why.
“Because, I think lots of people might resonate with my reasoning and my decision to do so and the reason I am deciding to do this is because it was a car crash last .
“I was struggling towards the end of the year. I’ve now been diagnosed with OCD and I think what I didn’t realise is that the
, commonly referred to as OCD, is a severe anxiety disorder that affects 12 in every 1000 people.
Alec continued: “I went home for Christmas and it was in hindsight the worse thing to do because that house with my family who I love to bits was a toxic environment for someone who’s really struggling.
“Not because of the people but when you are being in a situation where other people are struggling and there’s a lot of emotion.
“It can easily come come across that I’m somehow like my parents are the problem or I feel bad because they’ve caused the problem – they haven’t.
“They are just humans going through a difficult time and I think sometimes being around other people that are struggling can lift you.
“But other times of the year when you’ve got Christmas, the reminder that they’re not there the time you’re supposed to be happy.
“All that stuff can make everything actually way worse and I ended up back on medications in early January.
“Which, I actually in hindsight should have done way earlier and the reason I wanted to share this with people.
“I think we would all love to pretend that it’s all happy families and everyone’s happy at Christmas but actually Christmas can be one of the hardest times of the year.
“I don’t think you’d be watching this video if you didn’t somehow relate to that and family dynamics are complex.
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org , 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org , 116 123
“People’s experience of suffering is complex and sometimes the combination of that is not good for you.
Alex then went on to explain some thoughts and tips for anyone watching the video who feels a similar way.
He captioned his post: “This wasn’t an easy choice, and it’s definitely not something I took lightly. But it’s what feels right for me this year.
“Christmas is supposed to feel magical, but if I’m honest I find it really difficult. Everything suddenly ramps up, the diary gets jam packed, there’s a lot of emotion, and constant reminders that someone is missing.
“Routines go out the window and it can all feel a bit overwhelming. If you’re finding this time of year hard, or you’re doing Christmas differently this year, please know you’re not alone.
“However you’re spending it, quietly, differently, or just getting through, I’m sending you love. I’ve shared more in a longer video if you want to hear more.”
Alex has been diagnosed with OCD and found that he was in a horrendous downwards spiral last yearCredit: Instagram
Alex was left completely devastated in 2020 after his brother took his own life aged 19.Credit: Instagram
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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