Love Island's Alex George lost his brother to mental health in July this year, leaving him 'hanging on by a thread' according to his latest social media post. But despite having to go through the unimaginable loss of a sibling, Alex is still having to face people disregarding his own mental health.
The reality TV star was faced with the cruellest of taunts on Instagram over the weekend in response to a clip of a relaxing seaside scene, which he told followers was understandably 'good for the soul'.
The devastating message he received back from a follower read, 'Your brother is dead, get off social media'.
Alex, who is a doctor, screenshotted and shared the message to his followers and wrote, 'Imagine being this person. I'm holding [myself together] by a thread and you get people like this.'
He went on, 'I am honest and open with you all. The good, the bad and the ugly. There is so much that isn't shared online of course. So many of you are so kind and message me each day with well wishes. I often post to let you know I am still going strong.'
It was only a few days previously that Dr Alex, who appeared in Love Island in 2018, buried his younger brother. He spoke out about his tough day, writing on Instagram last week, 'Yesterday I said goodbye to my little brother Llŷr. It was the hardest day of my life. Except it wasn’t goodbye. Llŷr, your dream was to become a doctor, you will live that dream. Every patient I see, we will do it together, you and I ❤️.
'Your favorite passion is cars, every time I am out driving, I know you will be there laughing and smiling with me. I love you so much Llŷr, you are always with me, my boy'.
While it's hard to measure the statistics for mental illness as many may suffer in silence rather than seeking help, suicide statistics show that men suffer disproportionately in the UK.
Stats compiled by the Men's Health Forum (July 2014) revealed that for men under 35, suicide is the biggest cause of death in the UK, while 4 in 5 (78%) suicides are carried out by men. So what will it take for men's mental health to be respected?
Last year Love Island fans reacted in horror and disbelief when Mike Thalassitis took his own life, with many calling for more open discussion of men's mental health issues and kindness on social media.
This became a huge topic of discussion following the tragic death of Love Island host Caroline Flack after she took her own life in February this year, putting social media under the microscope with the phrase #BeKind, written on one of Caroline's previous Instagram posts, trending for days.
Unfortunately the response Alex received proves how far we still have to go. We hope the wait isn't too long.
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