Gemma Collins opens up about her mental health as she fronts a new documentary for Channel 4.
The new one-off film will see Gemma explore Britain’s self harm crisis, revealing her own painful experience.
Titled Gemma Collins: Self Harm & Me, the documentary will investigate what is behind the shocking rise in cases of self harm in the UK.
Channel 4 share: “In the last 10 years reported cases of self-harm have risen by 70% (British Medical Journal 2017), with more than a third of 16-25 year-olds in Britain reporting having self-harmed at some point in their lives (Survey commissioned by Self-Harm UK, The Mix and Young Minds).
“Meeting other people who have experience of self harm and hearing their stories, Gemma will explore how bullying, self esteem issues and the impact of social media can contribute to young people struggling with their mental health.
“Gemma will hear from experts to learn how to spot signs in family and friends and learn about what support is out there for those struggling with self harm. Reliving her own painful experiences, Gemma will use this film to push for greater awareness and understanding of this all too common issue.”
The documentary airs on Wednesday, 16 February at 9PM on Channel 4.
Lee McMurray, commissioning editor for Channel 4 said: “Gemma Collins has taken the brave decision to open up about her own experience with self-harm. As an instantly recognisable and relatable figure we applaud her courage in revealing her own struggles, and hope this film and her insight will spark vitally important conversations around young people and self-harm”.
Alex Bushill, Head of Media and PR at Mind, the mental health charity, said: “It is good to see Channel 4 dedicating airtime to exploring mental health and self-harm, as Mind’s research has shown an increasing number of young people self-harming during the coronavirus pandemic and this can be a difficult thing to talk about or seek help for.
“Our research at Mind has also shown that when people in the public eye speak about their mental health, it encourages others to do the same – as many as one in five people have spoken to a loved one as a direct result of seeing a celebrity speak out. This demonstrates how vital it is that people in the public eye continue to speak honestly about their mental health experiences, including coping mechanisms like self-harm.
“Through our Media Advisory Service, Mind is working with Channel 4 to in sure the issues covered are handled sensitively and portrayed accurately. We hope that this storyline will help to build a greater understanding of why some young people use self-harm as a way to deal with poor mental health, and that it will encourage viewers who are struggling to get the support they need.”
You can access Mind’s support and help resources online from mind.org.uk
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