About Me
After losing my father to suicide, I am passionate about raising awareness.
In November 2010, my life was turned upside down when I discovered that my father, Paul, had taken his life after many months of health and financial troubles. His death made the front page of The Evening Standard. At just 22 years old, I faced the daunting task of coping with the tragic and sudden loss of my father, managing the financial mess he left behind, all while trying to stay out of the media spotlight.
With the support of my friends and family, I navigated through this devastating period of my life. Nine months later I met my wife, whose presence brought newfound happiness and a sense of renewal. I was keen to put my troubles behind me and start a new life, which drove me to stay silent about the death of my father.
Fast forward 10 years to November 2020, amidst the height of lockdown, I decided to grow a “tache” for Movember. I always liked charity challenges and thought this would be an interesting way to spend the month. As I delved deeper, I discovered the extensive work Movember does in the mental health and suicide prevention space. Marking the 10th anniversary of my dad’s passing in this way felt particularly meaningful. One innocuous social media post later, I saw the impact sharing my story could have. That year, I became Movember’s highest individual fundraiser in the UK, raising over £16,000. I was subsequently recruited as an ambassador and began speaking publicly about my journey, raising over £25,000 in three years.
I soon realised that although there was a lot of noise around suicide prevention, there was hardly any awareness about the impact of losing someone to suicide. In 2023, I collaborated with filmmaker and director, Luke Brookner (Sticker Studios) to make Heirlooms, a short film highlighting the daily challenges faced by those bereaved by suicide. We raised funds and partnered with Suicide&Co, one of the few charities dedicated to supporting those bereaved by suicide.
Suicide is a unique type of grief. Not only are you dealing with the loss of a loved one, you are wrestling with a range of emotions like shock, shame, guilt and anger as well as a mountain of questions that can never be answered.
Today, I continue to share my story, drawing from my experiences as a Movember Ambassador and Executive Producer for Heirlooms. I have been a guest on numerous podcasts and have talked to large audiences at corporate firms, schools and suicide prevention summits.