Kem Cetinay's mother opens up
Love Island 2017 contestant Kem Cetinay opens up about his mental health in a new interview this week.
He appears on This Morning with his mother who admits her devastation over her son appearing on the show.
She worried he wouldn't be able to cope because of his severe anxiety.
In the candid interview, Kem admits he's struggled with anxiety since he was nine.
"It's been a massive thing in my life since I was nine years old."
"I think I spent a long time feeling a bit ashamed, I felt a bit embarrassed..."
An explanation
The presenter explains what it was that triggered his anxiety, "My mum got unwell..."
"They said she had 24 hours to live and I had to say goodbye and that was when it started."
"I didn't know it had affected me that much."
His mother Figen chimes in, "I went into hospital for an operation and things went wrong."
"I caught Septicemia and we didn't know that Kem was behind the door when the doctors told my husband that I might not make it through the night."
The reality star shares, "I had to say goodbye [to her]. That's when it started."
"I didn't know it had affected me that much. I think I was always quite an emotional child."
Anxiety
Kem started noticing issues with his mental health when he was 13, "things started getting the better of me."
"It was always the fear of not knowing if I'd lose her again. I was embarrassed."
He goes on, "I couldn't stay at a friend's house. I always had to be in arms reach when she was sleeping."
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"It started taking a toll on my school life. At year 10 I got take out of school completely."
"I wasn't healthy enough to be in school. The hardest thing was when I came out of school."
"We accepted I wasn't going to get any grades. I left school with one GCSE which is my biggest regret."
Suicidal thoughts
Kem reveals he had a diary where he would write down his suicidal thoughts.
"My mum found the notebook. The things I used to write about suicide."
"I felt I had no benefit to my family anymore. I had no education, no friends, I felt I was a burden on my family."
"I felt I was letting [my family] down but there was nothing I could do."
"It spiraled out of control. I hit rock bottom and spent two years in my room."
Love Island
His mother Figen feared he wouldn't be able to cope in the villa because of his anxiety.
So when she heard he had signed up for the show, she says she was "devastated."
She explains, "My question was, 'Why would you do this after everything you've been through?'"
"In our case, I think it actually helped Kem because he came to terms with himself."
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Thank you to everyone who voted!!!!!! We are so proud of them both!! ❤️🏝🎉 #Kember #LoveIsland
Kem agrees, "Now, I'm better at dealing with it."
"I was always holding back so when the [Love Island] opportunity came up, I wanted my mum and dad to see the real Kem."
Watch his full interview below:
Meanwhile, 2019 islander Amy Hart opens up about her struggles on the show this week.
Read what she has to say here.
