Tyson Fury opens up about mental health struggles

Tyson Fury has opened up about his mental health problems, revealing at one point he believed he was “being tortured by demons”.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Nihal Arthanayake, Fury discussed his “Behind The Mask” autobiography and talked of the Halloween night in 2017 that changed his life.

Fury explained how he had gone to the pub dressed in a skin-tight skeleton costume at the height of his drinking and mental health issues and decided to return home early.

“At that point I knew I couldn’t do it on my own,” he said. “I got on my knees and, for the first time in my life, I knew I couldn’t stop going to the pub (and stop) eating on my own.

“I was crying. When I arose, I was bouncing with excitement. I had faith that everything was going to be alright.”

Fury spoke of the importance of his religious beliefs and admitted to a possible psychosis diagnosis by his psychiatrist, who claimed in the book that “without faith, he would have killed himself”.

Fury added: “At one point I believed I was being tortured by demons. When you’re really mentally unwell, you do see and hear things.”

Fury also opened up about some of the abuse and mistreatment he has faced as a member of the travelling community.

He said: “I used to get called disgusting names. I was bullied quite a bit as a kid until I got big and started fighting back.

“I have been refused entry to pubs and restaurants because I’m a traveller.”

:: Nihal Arthanayake is on BBC Radio 5 Live every weekday between 1-4pm