Josie Gibson fought back tears on This Morning today as she opened up about the tragic deaths of four people she knew.
The star, 37, said she personally knew four men who had taken their lives during the Covid pandemic.
On Wednesday’s show, Josie and co-star Phillip Schofield were joined by Doctor Nighat Arif to discuss the pandemic’s toll on people’s mental health.
What did Josie Gibson say on This Morning?
Josie said: “During this pandemic, I personally know four men who took their lives.
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“I personally knew them, the support was just not there.”
Dr Nighat said: “The backlog is awful.”
Dr Nighat also said as GPs, they’ve been struggling with their own mental health.
She said: “On Saturday, it got really overwhelming because the last two years as primary care GPs and as a GP myself we have been struggling with our own mental health.”
Josie said: “That’s a lot to take on, how do you deal with it?”
Dr Nighat replied: “Well I talk. Talk, talk, talk. I talk as much as possible.
“For me, what I did on Saturday was I got in my car and went out for a drive into an open area and had a good cry.
“There are some things at the minute in general practice that, hand on heart, even I don’t have the solution for.”
She went on to discuss what people can do to try and help their mental health.
Dr Nighat said: “There are so many things that we can do.
“So the first thing I say is talk, talk, talk, not be embarrassed that you had a cry or you’re sad.
What else did Josie say?
“Making sure you are going for a walk, getting exercise in, going to green spaces, hugging a tree.”
Josie then opened up about her mental health struggles and how she deals with feeling “low”.
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She said: “We all get low so what I do is I take my shoes and socks off and I go and find some grass and I walk through it with my bare feet.
“Because when you are connecting back to the Earth and nature, you feel better.”
If you are struggling with your mental health, contact the Samaritans online or call 116 123 from any phone for free.
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