McFly’s Harry Judd opens up about mental health on Celebrity Race Across the World

Harry Judd opens up about his mental health struggle on Celebrity Race Across the World this week.

In this week’s episode, McFly drummer Harry Judd and his mother, Emma, embark on an eight-hour train journey to Poland.

The trip becomes an opportunity for heartfelt conversations, and Harry begins by expressing his delight at the prospect of spending quality time with his mum.

“I’m loving the train, space, chilled, chatting away to mum. There’s something to be said for having eight hours, just the two of you, on a nice smooth train. No distractions, no phones, just really quality time,” Harry remarks during their journey.

Mum Emma, shares the sentiment: “It’s lovely having this time together. It really is so, so precious. When does any mother get their son, at this age, without anybody else interrupting?” she adds.

During their conversation, Harry reflects on some personal challenges, acknowledging his tendency to become fixated and obsessive about certain things. Emma chimes in with her observations, characterizing Harry’s disposition as both a positive and negative aspect of his personality.

“I think if I can channel my addictive, sort of, personality in a positive way, then it can be a really good thing. But then it can also, if I go too far, be a real negative,” Harry acknowledges.

Harry goes on to reveal a deeply personal aspect of his past, specifically his struggles with addiction in his late teens and early twenties, which led to anxiety. He confesses that he chose not to confide in his mum about these struggles to protect her from disappointment and hurt.

Emma reassures him with teary eyes: “Well bless you darling, you never will let me down. And I hope you know I’ll always be there for you, and I’ll always love you, no matter what.”

Harry continues: “There’s been periods where I’ve really struggled with my mental health, and when you experience anxiety or depression, it’s the worst thing ever. It’s worse than any physical injury I’ve ever had, times ten. It’s a really horrible thing to go through.”

Emma later adds: “I knew that things weren’t right. And I’ve known that he’s suffered, but he’s never opened up to me about it. And so, the fact that he told me today that he did it to protect me, I felt truly loved actually.”

Celebrity Race Across the World continues Wednesday, 9PM on BBC One and iPlayer