Radio 1 presenter Dean McCullough has revealed he was hypnotised to help him deal with a raft of death threats online. The star had sessions after the abuse left him struggling to cope
Dean McCullough has been hypnotised to help him cope with death threats.
The Radio 1 presenter became a target for internet trolls after competing on I’m A Celebrity last autumn. When it left him struggling to cope, he decided to get professional help.
Dean said: “After the trolling became really bad. I couldn’t get my head around it all. “My confidence and my resilience was taken away from me. It was really tough.
“I’ve had to have therapy. I have been hypnotised to help me deal with everything.”
Since having the sessions, Dean has got his life back on track. He added: “Being hypnotised has really helped. It helped me work through it all.
“The most important thing at the end of the day is that I know that I am a good person. “I’ve got an amazing boyfriend, my mum is proud of me and I love my job at Radio 1.”
The messages Dean has been sent have been so serious that he reported them to police. Forces across the country are now investigating. But Dean is determined not to let what’s happened beat him.
He said: “There are presenters that I look up to like Rylan Clark and Davina McCall who have been through their fair share of negativity, but are still here and thriving.
“I would hope that one day I can look back at everything I’ve been through and think it was a really good learning exercise.” When the abuse first started, Dean hit rock bottom.
There were times when he lived in fear of being attacked. He said: “I had an absolute ball when I was in the jungle, so to come out and have all of that joy taken away from me was such a shame.
“I was really shocked. I couldn’t believe people would write those things. “When you’re feeling vulnerable and you get a nasty comment, it can really knock you for six.
“I had to hide for a bit. I spent a few months under my duvet. It was such a struggle to get up. “These people got annoyed by me living my best life on a TV show. It’s such a shame that they send me abuse.”
