Boxing legend Frank Bruno has revealed doctors still come to his home to inject him every two months and admitted he will never be cured of bipolar disorder.
The former world champion, who turns 65 on November 16, was diagnosed with the condition after retiring from boxing in 1996.
Writing in his new book, Bruno: Still Fighting, he says: “When it comes to my mental health, I’m not cured. I never will be. Bipolar disorder doesn’t work like that, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling a lie.
“I’m still on powerful medication. Doctors come to my home and inject me every two months. That’s one of the realities of life, but I’m not crying into my pillow. It is what it is.
“I’d love to get off the meds one day, but for now I’m just listening to what the doctors are telling me and going along with it.”
Bruno, who lives alone, also says he would like to find love.
“I still live on my own, but it would be nice to meet someone one day,” he says. “It can get a bit lonely at times.”
He adds he still has difficult periods, with mood swings he cannot always explain.
“I still have bad days. I get ups and downs, and my mood swings high to low, and sometimes it’s not nice,” he says. “I’m not always sure what causes it. Maybe pressure.
“Sometimes it can be something small that sets it off. But right now I have a better understanding of who I am, what I need, and what happens when I ignore the signs. I also have people around me now who tell me things straight, and that matters more than anything.”
Bruno also reveals a film about his life could be made.
“There’s also a really good chance now of making a film about my life, which I really hope comes off one day, and if it does, the work I do at my Foundation will be at the heart of it, because none of this means anything without that place,” he says.
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He says he has no plans to stop working, but dreams of a home in the sun.
“I still have little dreams. Part of me would love a place in Spain,” he says. “A place where I could go to relax, chill out, and just enjoy life so I’m not stuck in the house all the time.
“I can never see myself properly ‘retiring,’ not in the way many people do. I’m useless at golf for a start. You’ve got to keep yourself occupied. It’s when you don’t work that you get lazy and you give up looking after yourself.
“Your body’s a bit like a car and if you don’t keep it topped up with oil the engine is going to end up knackered and on the scrapheap.”
Bruno won the world title in 1995, beating Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium, and retired the following year on medical advice after losing his belt to Mike Tyson.
He was first sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2003. He has since been sectioned three more times and has admitted himself into psychiatric care on three other occasions.
The father-of-four set up The Frank Bruno Foundation in 2017 to support others living with mental ill health. Based in Northampton, it has supported thousands of people.
Bruno, who received an MBE in 1990, was made a Freeman of the City of London in December 2025.
“Only winning the World Title felt better,” he said. “For a lad from South London who started with nothing it feels like a big deal. I’m very proud and humbled.”
Looking ahead, he says: “My priorities these days are much simpler than they once were. I want to stay healthy, I want to spend time with my family. I want to enjoy my grandchildren, I want to help people through the Foundation. And above all, I want to keep moving forward.
“Because if boxing’s taught me one thing, it’s that getting knocked down is never the end of the story. The important thing is finding a way to get back up. I’ll be sixty-five soon, and I think there’s a fair amount to celebrate.”
To buy a signed copy of Bruno: Still Fighting visit https://www.frankbruno.co.uk/product/frank-bruno-signed-new-book-still-fighting/
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