Gail Porter does not regard herself as an inspiration
TV presenter Gail Porter does not consider herself an inspiration - despite helping thousands of people with their mental health.
Gail Porter struggles with people calling her an inspiration.
The 54-year-old TV presenter has empowered and helped thousands of people by talking openly about her mental health struggles and how she has come out on the other side of depression, self-harming, homelessness, bankruptcy and other challenges to find a newfound purpose and love in her life.
Her loved ones and the Samaritans got Gail back on her feet after she hit rock bottom, and the star wants to pay the help she received forward for others.
Asked if she thinks she is an inspiration, Gail exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "No, I don't think so at all. What I am is I talk too much, I'm very Scottish, I say it as it is, and I'm a big believer in sharing things that might be able to help other people, because I know what it's like to hold stuff in and think that you're the only person, and it's the most awful feeling in the world."
Gail - who was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2011 following a breakdown - called the Samaritans in 2012 after doctors would not listen to her when she went through a severe mental health crisis.
And the former Top of the Pops host thinks she would have taken her life if it were not for having her 22-year-old daughter, Honey - whom she has with her 50-year-old ex-husband, Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave.
Gail - who lost all of her blonde hair after being diagnosed with alopecia in 2005 - added: "Before I spoke to the Samaritans, I was sitting in Hampstead and thinking, ‘There's absolutely no point in me being here. I'm useless.’ And if I didn't have my daughter, I wouldn't be here today, because I was at the end.
"But then I thought so many other people go through these thoughts, and if we all kept them in, then we're all going to explode. So we need to share."
The ex-model moved between friends' sofas and spare rooms for months, and slept rough "for a couple of nights" in Hampstead Heath, North London, before she got back on her feet after an unexpected tax bill ruined her financially in 2014.
Gail is grateful for everyone who helped her bounce back - and she also encourages everyone to look after one another.
She added: "And I just want to pay it forward. I want to pay forward what the Samaritans have done for me. I want to pay it forward to my friends who put me up on a sofa. I want to pay it forward to my daughter by being kind.
"It's not inspirational. I think it's what we all should just keep an eye on each other, and just be kind."
Gail was speaking on behalf of the Samaritans - which she became an ambassador for - as she fronts the charity's Bring Someone's Future Back winter campaign with Samaritans caller Layla McBain, 28.
A £10 donation can ensure that a Samaritan is there to answer a life-saving call for help. You can find out more and donate by visiting samaritans.org/donate.
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
