The Prime Minister has today appointed Love Island's Dr Alex George as a Mental Health Ambassador to advise the government.
The 29-year-old will initially focus on youth mental health, which is something he's been passionate about since he tragically lost his younger brother to suicide last year.
Speaking to LADbible, Dr Alex - who will still be working as an A&E doctor - said this was 'the biggest moment' of his life and he would be doing it in memory of 19-year-old Llŷr.
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He said: "Losing my brother has been hard and I feel like, obviously nothing brings him back, but in some way it means I can actually do something positive in his name which is really important for me and my family. I feel proud, privileged and honoured.
"This is for him and I always say we do it together, we're going through this together and I feel like he's with me in some way in this and whatever I achieve, it's with him. It feels very important to me and definitely to my family as well."
Dr Alex will provide input on the issues being faced by children and young people and how this can be reflected in the tools and support teachers will need in order to provide high-quality advice and care to their students, as well as looking at what more could be done to ensure the mental health curriculum meets the standard children need.
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Speaking about the role, he went on to add: "Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think this would happen. I'm in a very privileged position to try and do something with this.
"It was a real awareness that this is the biggest moment in my life. I'm under pretences that today is the biggest moment of my life. I'll never ever be in a position or do anything bigger than this.
"It is the pinnacle of the things I could ever hope for or hope to achieve."
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, spoke about how important the position would be, saying: "Children and young people have heroically adapted to save lives and protect our NHS.
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"This has understandably had a huge impact on their mental health, so I want to shine a spotlight on this vital issue ahead of their return to school. I'm delighted that Dr. Alex George will be working with us as we do everything in our power to improve people's mental wellbeing."
Dr Alex
will start his role immediately, and will work within the Department for
Education. He will remain independent of government and it is an unpaid
position.
Topics: Celebrity, News, Mental Health