If you’ve been on the internet within the past day, there’s no doubt you will have seen that Game of Thrones’star Kit Haringtonhas checked himself into rehab. Citing ‘personal issues’ as the reason behind the decision, the star’s rep confirmed toPage Six that the actor - who played Jon Snow on the HBO series - is spending time at a Connecticut health retreat. The site reports that Kit - who has been there for nearly a month - is undergoing ‘psychological coaching, practicing mindful meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy’ to combat stress.
That stress is believed to be related to Game of Thrones - the show which catapulted Kit into worldwide fame and where he met his wife Rose Leslie - coming to an end after eight years. In a recent interview with Esquire, Kit told how he faced an ‘onslaught of relief and grief’ when the cameras stopped rolling. ‘The final day of shooting, I felt fine... I felt fine... I felt fine…’ he said. ‘Then I went to do my last shots and started hyperventilating a bit. Then they called, “Wrap!” And I just... broke down. It was this onslaught of relief and grief about not being able to do this again.’
While many have been quick to extend their thoughts and well wishes to the 32-year-old - unfortunately, some people have seen his plight as an opportunity to make a joke about the situation. (As one Twitter user summed up, ‘Top anticipated memes:- “Rehab is coming” “You [now] drink nothing Jon Snow” “The prince that was pissed” “We are the drinkers on the wall”.) Others joked that the ‘real reason’ behind his struggles was because the ending was ‘so bad’ . And as recently as this morning - after so many have condemned the media and the internet’s response to the news - somebody made the quip, ‘Jon Snow had to check into rehab after they left that water bottle in the scene.’
‘Might be nice for us to leave Kit Harington alone for a bit if he’s struggling with his mental health,’ Radio 1 DJ Greg James tweeted shortly after the news was released. ‘He has said he sometimes finds fame and attention “terrifying”. This isn’t an excuse to make shit Game of Thrones jokes for retweets.’ And Greg, a campaigner for mental health awareness, is right: just because Kit is famous for being a TV character, doesn’t mean that it’s alright - or funny - to make a “topical” joke about it. Kit isn’t Jon Snow. He is a real person, who is quite evidently struggling from the fallout of becoming famous and the ending of a show which was a huge part of his life. And whether they liked the finale or not, viewers need to treat Kit with respect. If you wouldn’t take the piss out of one of your closest friends for seeking help, you shouldn’t do it somebody you watch on TV, either.
We're campaigning for better mental health provisions in the workplace as part of our Where's Your Head At campaign - for more information and to support the campaign visit wheresyourheadat.org.