Boxing legend Frank Bruno has called on the Prime Minister to do more for those fighting mental ill health and warned: “A lot of people are suffering in silence.”
Asked what his message would be to Andy Burnham, Frank, 64, who is using his own savings to help keep his charity foundation going, told GB News: “I’d say, Prime Minister, you’ve got to do more for people here in this country suffering from mental ill health because a lot of people are suffering out there.
“A lot of people are suffering in silence. A lot of people are coming out slowly, but they find it very, very embarrassing to come out and say, ‘I’ve got schizophrenia; I’ve got bipolar,’ and all different things like that, so it just needs people to help.”
Frank was speaking to Patrick Christys in an exclusive interview with the People’s Channel. During a wide-ranging chat, he spoke of the need to do more to support injured military veterans, of his pride at being British but that he felt the country had “lost its way a bit”.
The retired fighter, who turns 65 later this month, won the world title in 1995 by beating Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium. He retired the following year after losing his belt to Mike Tyson.
After his retirement, Frank was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2003, he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. He has been sectioned a further three times and has admitted himself into psychiatric care on another three occasions.
Reflecting on why it is important to him to speak out about his condition, he told Patrick: “I was there. You know, I got the T-shirt, and I was there, but there are people out there very scared to open up. I’ve been sectioned in my life, and it was very, very scary.”
Pressed on the current state of the country, Frank said: “The nation at the moment seems to have lost its way a little bit; it seems a little bit down. We’re looking for a bit of hope and everything.
“It seems as if there’s a lot of funny business going on. People coming on over in boats and doing different bits and pieces and getting mobile phones and put up in a hotel and whatever, and it’s winding up a lot of people.
“I feel proud to be British and of flying the flag. If you don’t like it, there’s always a way out. You can get a plane or catch the underground or get one of those special boats to take you somewhere.
“There’s people much worse off than yourself.”
Frank was speaking following the release of his new book, Bruno: Still Fighting, extracts of which are being featured exclusively on GBNews.com.
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In the memoir, Frank credits his PA, Paul Hunter, for saving his life and reveals details of a harrowing ordeal he suffered at the hands of a stalker.
Asked why he wanted to write a new book about his life, Frank said: “A lot of things have happened to me in the five years since my last book. I was ill on a flight to Thailand. I was going over there to see some people and do a couple of shows out there. I was on the plane, but I don’t know what happened next.
“It was very, very scary. I’m glad I had Paul with me to guide me and help me while I was doing crazy things.
“It was a very, very scary experience. I didn’t really remember anything that was going on, but he was telling me I was doing this, I was doing that, but I don’t know.”
Opening up on the time he was first sectioned, he told Patrick: “I’ve been sectioned a few times; five times, six times, I don’t know how many times but I’ve been sectioned.
“(It is a) Horrible experience. The first time I remember the, doorbell went. My mate Cas was in the house; we were talking about some bits and pieces.
“The doorbell went, and there was someone saying ‘We’ve come to see Frank. He’s getting sectioned.’
“Police were there, helicopters were there, neighbours were there. I never saw them in my life before, but it seemed like they come out for the fun.
“When they say you got to be sectioned you’ve got to follow them because the police were there, and doctors were there, and everybody was treating it like a circus.
“I still remember quite a lot, they gave me the needle in the backside to sort of like calm me down. And afterwards, I had to take tablets and take these injections each week.
“They say I’ve got bipolar. I never used to be able to understand bipolar, but I do understand bipolar now. It makes you spend a lot, do crazy things, a lot of energy.
“Sometimes when you’re down, then you’re up like 100 miles an hour.
“It’s very, very challenging,”
Despite his previous struggles, Frank said his health at the moment is “very good”.
He said: “I train and I look after myself every single day. So yeah, my health is very good. I do all different routines. This morning I got up at 4 o’clock, but I had a run in my gym and whatever. I can use a sauna and a steamer. So yeah, I keep it real.”
“I do miss boxing. I miss the cheques mostly. I also miss the excitement of being in the boxing ring.”
Asked if retiring from the sport was difficult, he tells Patrick: “Yes, it was very difficult. My trainer George Francis once said to me, ‘The biggest fight is going to be when I finish boxing’. I didn’t know what he was talking about until it happened to me.
“It’s like someone was drawing out all the strength and all the enthusiasm that I had. About a month after I finished boxing, I was sitting down and getting lazy, putting on weight, getting a Teletubby.
“But I mustn’t grumble. I come from a humble background and whatever, and I’ve done very well for myself. I look outside. I’ve got some nice wheels. I look inside and I’ve got some nice suits hanging up. I’m very, very blessed, and I’m very, very grateful for what I’ve got. So I can’t really grumble.”
The retired champ set up The Frank Bruno Foundation in 2017 to support others suffering with mental ill health. Based in Northampton, the Foundation has supported thousands of people.
But Frank says the Foundation is now at risk due to a drastic drop-off in the donations it relies on to survive.
Detailing the struggles with his foundation, he writes in Bruno: Still Fighting: “It’s not easy at the moment. Donations are drying up, and money is tight, and I’ve had to use my own personal savings to keep things on the straight and narrow. I’m determined we will make it a success. However, the nurses and care workers who are not on high wages need to be paid. Unless we get a serious, and I mean a serious, cash injection, we are going to have problems.
“There’s too much at stake if we go to the wall. But I’ve learned over the years that we can’t rely on politicians to sort out the mess we have in mental healthcare. They all talk the talk, but very few walk the walk.”
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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