Piers Morgan has branded UK mental health statistics “absolute crap” during a lengthy interview with Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett.
Speaking ahead of his own new TV show Piers Morgan Uncensored, which drops this today (Monday, April 25) on Talk TV, Morgan guested on the millionaire entrepreneur’s The Diary of a CEO podcast to discuss everything from his career to the controversies he’s been embroiled in over the years.
And, during the 75-minute chat, they also got into his opinions on the topic of mental ill-health, with Morgan explaining how the current generation had seemingly “lost the ability to look at mental strength and resilience, triumph over adversity and being tough in difficult times as badges of honour.
(Image: GETTY)
“They’ve almost become badges of shame,” he added.
“It’s a contentious issue and people say, ‘You’re mocking mental health’ but I don’t think so. I think we should separate mental health from mental illness.
“We all have mental health, but if you have a mental illness you need treatment,” said Morgan, before rubbishing a report he’d read which stated that 33million people in Britain are mentally ill.
(Image: BBC)
“No they’re not. It’s crap. It’s absolute crap,” he continued. “A lot of people are identifying as mentally ill when actually they just have anxiety about exams or relationships or whatever it may be – and when we do that it means the people who really need help are not getting it.
“It’s not about being callous or insensitive, I think my kids would tell you I spend hours talking through problems with them, but always I come back to saying, ‘Look, life’s tough and you’ve gotta keep pounding’.”
(Image: The Diary Of A CEO / Youtube)
Piers made the news last year when he stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain, following an on-air row with weather presenter Alex Beresford over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Morgan said he did not believe Meghan Markle’s claims of mental health problems in the interview, and his comments received the most complaints to Ofcom it its history.
The Diary of a CEO is available now on YouTube. Piers Morgan Uncensored airs on TalkTV from today (April 25).
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
