Former footballer turned pundit Clarke Carlisle feels 'no shame' about suicide attempt

Carlisle tried to take his own life in December 2014. Credit: PA

Former Premier League star Clarke Carlisle said on Wednesday he felt "no shame" about his recent suicide attempt.

The 35-year-old said he was "incredibly unwell" when he tried to take his own life in December but he now had a "very different perspective" on life.

Speaking at the Oval Cricket Ground in London, at the launch of a project to tackle mental health discrimination in sport, Carlisle said: "People are very delicate stepping around it - there's no shame invested in it for me.

"I tried to commit suicide because I was incredibly unwell, but it's changed my life.

"It's changed my life because I got incredible support - initially from Leeds General Hospital to keep me alive and then from the Cygnet Hospital in Harrogate to not only nurture me mentally but to give me new tools and new skills.

"I stand here today with a very different perspective of what it means to be alive in this world.

"There's a great expectation that once you come out of a psychiatric hospital you're cured - you're not cured. You just have more tools, a greater awareness of self and a greater understanding of how to manage your illness and that's exactly where I'm at.

"I'm managing my illness on a daily basis and I can tell you today I'm very well."