Roman Kemp has called for mental health awareness to be talked about more in schools.
The Capital FM DJ has opened up about his own tough experiences following the sudden death of his friend Joe Lyons in August 2020, as he urged for more to be done in education when it comes to mental health.
The 28-year-old told star said: “Talking about mental health needs to start earlier than when we get to 16 and we’re doing PSHE.
"It has to be engrained into lessons and it has to be engrained into schools … as early as possible. Understanding that talking is something that can help us.”
Roman is a patron of Joe’s Buddy Line - a charity set up in memory of Joe to help provide mental health support in schools - and he spoke about the “troubles” he has dealt with, such as suicidal thoughts.
He added: “I’ve had a lot of troubles of my own, I’ve dealt with suicidal thoughts, I’ve been on anti-depressants for 15 years of my life.
"I feel that, sometimes, if my brain gets in a situation where it feels like it’s been beaten up by Mike Tyson, I feel like I’m in a boxing ring and not had one boxing lesson."
Roman believes it is important to teach school children about such issues to help deal with them.
Speaking on Channel 4 show 'Steph’s Packed Lunch', he added: "It’s about teaching kids and showing kids these are the tools you need so that when you come up against these demons, you’ll be able to knock them out the park, you’ll be able to deal with them, you’ll be able to talk about them.
"Unfortunately, when people reach the age of 16, particularly boys, they make a conscious decision of how much they’re going to let someone in.
"No matter how many chats they have, they’ll always hold something back. It’s about being able to engrain that talking about feelings and looking out for trigger points, looking out for your mates is something that needs to happen in schools from that earlier age.
"It’s about teaching kids and showing kids these are the tools you need so that when you come up against these demons, you’ll be able to knock them out the park, you’ll be able to deal with them, you’ll be able to talk about them."
'Steph’s Packed Lunch' airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4 and All 4.
