Iwan Thomas has revealed how Prince Harry played an important role for him during a challenging time in his life. The Welsh sprinter, 50, reached the dizzy heights of silver at the Atlanta Games in 1996 before taking gold at the World Championships in 1997 and breaking world records. However, he has candidly admitted that years later he was struggling with his mental health after retiring from being an athlete.
Iwan has bravely spoken openly about the tough period in his life in his new autobiography Brutal. Talking about his book and the challenging time on Tuesday's Lorraine, the Olympian revealed it was Prince Harry who gave him courage to be open about his struggles. The athlete met the Duke of Sussex in 2016 at a Heads Together event, the mental health initiative set up alongside Prince William and Princess Kate .
He labelled the pivotal moment the "weirdest thing" as he stood alongside Harry flipping burgers. Lorraine guest host Christine Lampard said: "Randomly, it was a conversation with Prince Harry that gave you some clarity" to which Iwan said: "Yeah, it was really strange. I was almost too proud to reach out for help and say to my family because I didn't want to worry them or my friends because I was struggling.
"I was at a BBQ with Prince Harry and we were flipping burgers before I knew it I dropped a burger on the floor. We laughed and joked, I said: 'I'm going to say you did that'. He opened up about his issues and his struggles, I just thought if I can't be honest to a member of the Royal Family , who can I not be honest to? "I just said: 'Listen, I've really really struggled' and for him, it really kind of opened the door for me to realise it's okay not to be okay and before because I came from a world where it was all about being physically and mentally big and strong, I felt I couldn't ask for help because I saw it was a weakness.
"I now know it's not, people who reach out and ask for guidance and help that's a sign of strength to admit you're not doing too well. So thanks to him for giving me the courage to help others, I hope I have and I hope my book helps people realise it's alright to reach out if you are struggling. Do reach out because there's help there.
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