TV presenter Ben Fogle has opened up about his life away from the spotlight, shedding light on the “chaotic period” in his life, as well as some of the warning signs he missed before his mental breakdown.
During an appearance on the High Performance podcast, released on Monday, the father-of-two explained how he went through a tricky period in his life before emerging “stronger and happier”.
© ShutterstockOpening up to hosts Jake Humphrey and Professor Damian Hughes, the 51-year-old shared: “I think what happened in 2023 is that I overdid it, I didn’t listen to some of the little warning signs that I think we all have. The body is an amazing thing, the brain is an amazing thing and I don’t think I listened entirely to what I was doing to myself.
“I was being overstimulated, I was absorbing too much, I was doing too much, I was expecting too much of myself and I eventually popped, burst.”
© Getty ImagesBen continued: “It was a form of breakdown, ‘What is a breakdown?’ I don’t really know. But it was definitely a chaotic period that I have completely got over, I think that is one of the most important things.”
This isn’t the first time Ben has spoken so honestly about his mental health. Taking to Instagram in August last year, he shared a lengthy message which read: “A year ago I suffered a mental health wobble. An episode. A storm. A blip. I don’t know if there is a specific term for it, but it was basically a burnt out breakdown.
“Through a mix of CBT, medicine, and now some alternative therapies I feel like my old self. Gone is the crippling paranoia and anxiety, replaced by my calm old self.”
He added: “A mental health trauma should not be a stigma but a reality check for the increasingly complicated world in which we live.”
Ben’s family life
Ben shares two children, Ludo and Iona, with his wife Marina. In 2008, before Ludovic and Iona were born, the couple experienced a heartbreaking miscarriage and in 2014, their son Willem was sadly stillborn.
© InstagramBack in 2019, the couple decided to up sticks, switching London for Henley in Oxfordshire. The property has a tennis court, a swimming pool and a vegetable patch, among other amenities. Sitting on 1.3 acres, the estate boasts plenty of land where Ben’s lively Labradors can roam freely.
If you’ve experienced baby loss and need to talk, here are some helpful resources:
Call or email Tommy’s 0800 0147 800 / midwife@tommys.org
Call or email Sands 07803 751229 / hello@achildofmine.org.uk
Call or email The Lullaby Trust 0808 802 6868 / support@lullabytrust.org.uk
