Mental Health

He has opened up about his personal struggles after the horrifying incident

DJ and presenter Tyler West has revealed that, as a teenager, he witnessed a man getting stabbed to death – an incident which has had a “knock-on effect” on his mental health.

The 29-year-old from south London opened up about issues with “control” and the need to push himself out of his comfort zone while helping out with forest conservation on BBC One show Celebrity Race Across The World.

The Kiss FM DJ is appearing on this year’s show, which sees four celebrities and their loved ones look to complete a 3,670-mile race through Central America, alongside his girlfriend, EastEnders actress Molly Rainford.

Speaking to Rainford, he said: “I didn’t know this would be this much outside of my comfort zone. I always like to be in control of things, or know what I’m getting myself into.

“If I can control it, I feel like I can then look after the situation the best I possibly can.

“When I compare it to when I was a teenager, it was on another level.

“I was absolutely, like, petrified of witnessing something that was completely out of my control, and all I wanted to do was put a stop to it.

“You feel helpless, and I just don’t want to feel that ever in my life again.”

Later on in a confessional, he said: “I was coming home from school one day, and there was like these three men having an argument outside my house.

“One of the two men throw a really weak punch to the man that was on his own, and then one of the men had a 12-inch kitchen knife in his hand.

“All of a sudden, it was like me standing there at my bedroom window at 14 and just seeing this man get like stabbed to death.

“It was one of the most horrific moments of my life.

“I just remember being there at the Old Bailey, just being petrified of so many factors, like will all these people be able to see me? Will they know that I’m testifying? And I just didn’t really know how to process it, and it had such a knock on effect to my mental health. I was indoors for like two years.

“It matured me really quick, and it… it was just really hard.”

During Thursday’s episode of the reality competition programme, the celebrities were told they must fly to Liberia, Costa Rica, after permission to film in Nicaragua was not granted.

Derry Girls actor Dylan Llewellyn and his mother Jackie were the first to reach the checkpoint at Bocas del Toro in Panama, and were followed by radio presenter Roman Kemp and his sister Harley.

Third to the checkpoint was presenter Anita Rani and her father Bal, and they were followed by West and Rainford.

Shelley Spadoni reflects on the time she interviewed comedy legend Ruby Wax and how after a wobbly start, the I’m A Celebrity star won her over completely

The one and only time I ever interviewed the inimitable Ruby Wax was in 2023, a long time before she had to contend with eating camel’s penis, or deal with run-ins with YouTube stars ‘blocking her light’.

The no-holds-barred I’m A Celebrity star, 72, has already made her mark in the jungle with her straight-talking ways and abrasive humour – and to be honest, I’m not surprised. She’s a force of nature.

Getting ready to speak to her on the phone two years ago as she prepared to set off on the UK tour of I’m Not As Well As I Thought (also the name of her book at the time), I was a little apprehensive.

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I had this idea in my head – and how wrong can these preconceived notions be – that she was a brash, at-times rude, if supremely-talented comedian, writer and TV star who if she was having a bad day, would make mincemeat out of me.

And as we began chatting, my fears were, in part. realised. I kicked off by asking Ruby about some of her favourite showbiz memories over the years, of which there are too many to mention here. In hindsight, perhaps I should have warmed her up a little first.

I recall cringing after asking how she felt about finding herself in 2000 sharing a plane with the now-US President Donald Trump, which she’s already talked about around the I’m A Celeb campfire.

Quick as a whippet, she responded, slightly irritated, with, ‘Shelley, I’ve talked about this many times before – as well as hanging out with Pamela Anderson. What else would you like to know that I haven’t said before?”

Fair play. She’s got a bag full of tricks when it comes to A-lister anecdotes. But she’s also got another huge passion in life – campaigning for mental health, and getting people to open up about theirs.

Over that little hiccup, we began discussing her stage show at the time, exploring mental health – as well as her Frazzled Cafe, the online space Ruby founded in which people can share their mental health stories and struggles in a safe space.

And the star slowly came to life. The more we spoke, the more I realised, Ruby just wanted to get to the nitty gritty, the thing that clearly is a huge part of what drives her.

And during the course of our interview, she showed not only her dark sense of humour, but also a vulnerability that is quite rare in the world of celebrity.

At one point, discussing her own mental health struggles, she brought up the idea that we all have an inner voice, ‘negative loops’ inside our head s that try to bring us down, and which she still has to try very hard to ignore.

Hers, she admitted with that throaty laugh, tells her, “I’m old, I’m finished and nobody likes me. And I tend to hear them when I’m feeling anxious. It’s like chewing a wad of gum and feeling exhausted.”

Her honesty was disarming. Mindfulness, she confessed, helps her deal with those intrusive thoughts. With her typically dark humour, she said she had first read about it while being treated in a mental institution, following a devastating bout of depression.

She suggested I try it, that we all do. And by the time we said goodbye to each other, I was a big fan – and have been, ever since.

We haven’t seen much of this vulnerable, reflective side of Ruby in the jungle yet, but I think we will. And though she may have divided fans at times, the more we see of her, the more viewers will understand what makes her tick.

Meanwhile, of course, she’ll continue to be absolute TV gold. She may say it like it is if someone rubs her up the wrong way, but she’s hugely entertaining.

The mother of three is also very insightful about the human condition, something that is sure to come through Down Under, during those famous deep and meaningfuls around the campfire at night.

As she told me before I hung up the call, “We’re all on different boats Shelley, but believe me, we’re in the same storm!”

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Living in London for eleven years made me realise the differences between the Spanish and British lifestyle, and this one thing still hits me the hardest – and it’s not the weather.

When I was a teenager, my parents uprooted our lives, trading the sun-drenched streets of Barcelona for the grey drizzle of London —a thousand-mile pivot that changed everything.

The adjustment was brutally challenging. I spent the first few months paralyzed by homesickness, feeling completely out of place. Eleven years later, I’ve grown to love this city, but the learning curve never really ends. Certain London quirks still baffle me, and no, I’m not just talking about the famously bipolar weather.

The one thing I still can’t wrap my head around is the “after-work lifestyle.” Why do Britons — and even us immigrants — accept a schedule that seems to steal our day, leaving no time to enjoy the city we work so hard in? There’s a systemic reason for this, and I think everyone who commutes here will agree it’s the ultimate London tax.

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OPINION

Niamh Kirk

‘After work social? Commuting is long’

The one thing that has shocked me the most over the years has been how long it takes to get from one place to another. For example, commuting to work in central London can take up to an hour, depending on the area you live in. Even worse, the journey back home. During rush hour, it can take up to two hours.

It doesn’t apply to work, but also to making plans with friends or doing errands. A total of three hours of journey, “meet me in the middle”… and can we talk about how expensive public transport has become? It’s a £100 day spent, no joke.

Unless you live in central London or ten minutes away from your workplace, it’s impossible – and those with a Monday to Friday and a 9-5 schedule can relate to this. Getting home, shower, dinner, a little scroll on social media and being in bed by 10 pm is a sport.

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In the times I’ve had the opportunity to work remotely, I’ve noticed the difference. After work, I’ve been able to meet up with friends, go to a bar for a coffee or a drink, have dinner, and be back home before 9pm. In London, that’s impossible.

Nonetheless, I think it’s still crucial to make some time for yourself and breathe some fresh air, hang out with your work colleagues or friends, instead of getting into the habit of ‘work-home’. I think the trick is finding a balance between socialising with friends, prioritising your mental health and getting enough hours of sleep for your next working day.

Although it might feel draining at times, a laugh with your loved ones whilst catching up can brighten up your hard day at work!

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Sean Combs, the disgraced music mogul convicted of prostitution-related offences, has been accepted into a drug abuse rehabilitation program that could reduce his sentence by up to a year

Disgraced hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has entered into rehab behind bars – a move that could cut up to a year from his sentence.

The I’ll Be Missing You hitmaker is currently being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey, a low-security prison after he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was sentenced on October 3 to 50 months in prison and received 14 months’ credit for time already served.

Now, his spokesman, Juda Engelmayer, has confirmed the Bad Boy Entertainment founder had entered the programme and is “committed to sobriety, healing and trying to set an example for others”. He added: “Mr Combs is an active participant in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) and has taken his rehabilitation process seriously from the start.”

Engelmayer said the rapper has been accepted into the programme and is working in the prison’s church library.

“He works in the chapel library, where he describes the environment as warm, respectful, and rewarding,” he said. According to the federal inmate locator, Combs is scheduled for release in May 2028.

Successful completion of RDAP could reduce that date, though he would still be subject to five years’ supervision after release, alongside drug testing and mental health treatment conditions. He is currently appealing his sentence.

Prosecutors had sought more than 11 years, citing what they described as a sustained pattern of coercion, manipulation and violent sexual abuse.

During the trial, former girlfriend Cassie Ventura testified that Combs used violence to force her participation in so-called “freak-offs” – drug-fuelled sex sessions involving sex workers he hired. She told the court she felt “disgusted” and “humiliated” afterwards.

At sentencing, US District Judge Arun Subramanian told Combs he “abused the power and control with women you professed to love” and said: “You abused them physically, emotionally and psychologically.” Combs apologised to Ventura and another former girlfriend, calling his conduct “disgusting, shameful and sick.”

Combs’ legal team reached out to President Donald Trump for a pardon after the conviction, according to a source close to the defence.

In an interview with Newsmax on August 1, Trump said he had once been “very friendly” with Diddy, but claimed Combs “was very hostile” during his presidential campaign.

Asked whether he would pardon the artist, Trump replied, “I would say so.”

Combs is living in a nine-person room inside a larger 200-bed unit.

Engelmayer said he has restarted “Free Game with Diddy,” a class designed to help inmates build confidence, learn entrepreneurial skills, and plan for employment after release.

He previously ran the programme while held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.

Celebrity real estate agent Chrishell Stause is moving on from Netflix’s “Selling Sunset” after nine seasons on the hit reality TV series.

Stause revealed to Bustle in a story published Friday that she is quitting the popular show, telling the outlet that not even “Jesus Christ himself” or the show’s producing team could persuade her to return. “I’ve gotten to a place where I don’t need the show financially,” the 44-year-old reality star and former “All My Children” actor told Bustle.

“I’m lucky to have other forms of employment, because it’s no longer good for my mental health,” she said.

“Selling Sunset” debuted on Netflix in 2019 and stars the female agents, including Stause, at the Sunset Strip office of the Oppenheim Group, a luxury real estate agency. Over the years, with Stause part of the main cast, the series has documented some of her professional wins and losses as well as her personal struggles, notably her divorce from “This Is Us” actor Justin Hartley in 2019. That divorce was finalized in 2021 and Stause has since remarried to Australian musician G Flip.

As Stause announced her exit to Bustle, she discussed her issues with other members of the “Selling Sunset” circle, namely co-star Emma Hernan and her boyfriend, Blake Davis. She also expressed disapproval with the series’ editing. Netflix did not comment to Bustle about Stause’s comments, but she wished the “Selling” franchise well in its future installments.

“I have no ill will toward the show. The show has given me so many opportunities, and I don’t want to be bitter about it, even though I’m leaving not in the way that I would’ve loved,” she said.

Stause, who appeared earlier this year in NBC’s celebrity competition show “The Traitors,” also talked about growing her family with G Flip and diversifying her friend groups: “I just really love being around accepting, beautiful-hearted people.”

The actor-reality star closes her “Selling Sunset” chapter two days after Netflix aired its Season 9 reunion episode. On Instagram, Stause acknowledged that “the season ended on a bit of a sour note,” but expressed gratitude to the Netflix series and its fans.

“It introduced me to you guys — and I am deeply thankful for your support. There were lots of fun memories I am going to focus on from here on out and you will see me again so it’s not goodbye,” she said Friday in an Instagram story. “Just goodbye for now.”