Made in Chelsea star Joshua Patterson has broken a world record after running 76 marathons in 76 consecutive days.
The 33-year-old has struggled with mental health throughout his life and such difficulties that he even attempted self-harm at the young age of 13.
Patterson initiated and embarked on the formidable challenge on 27 February to run 76 marathons in 76 cities across the UK in just 76 days.
Completing his final run today (13 May) starting at Buckingham Palace, London, Patterson covered a staggering distance of 1,991.2 miles over an estimated duration of 465 hours.
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Patterson, in collaboration with the experts from Until, a well-known London-based organisation, had set an ambitious goal of raising £1 million for the Samaritans, a dedicated suicide prevention charity.
They have already achieved an impressive milestone by collecting £186,000 in funds, making a significant contribution towards their target.
It all started when Patterson, popularly known as 'JP', battled with severe depression and bouts of anxiety.
Following his parents' divorce, Patterson admitted he tried to commit suicide at the age of 13 but thought he was saved by the hands of fate.
The reality star struggled once again when his personal life hit another bump in the road in 2018 after a tumultuous relationship with Made In Chelsea co-star Binky Felstead.
They have a five-year-old daughter together named India.
Patterson told MailOnline: "For most of my life I have struggled with my mental health.
"I have had bad bouts of depression. I've been at the point of contemplating suicide.
"I have pretty bad anxiety that I live with every day. When I was younger there was a real lack of understanding of what it was and the support in place for it."
Despite growing up in a comfortable environment with loving parents, Patterson had been a victim of mental health issues and was 'ashamed' of the consequences where he would often 'shout' in his twenties as a coping mechanism.
Having endured some troubled years as a teenager, Patterson said: "Mental illness is a terrible torturous disease where you’re a prisoner to your thoughts.
"For me this made struggling with my own mental health even harder - I would beat myself up thinking I had no right to feel the way I did when others out there have been and are going through so much worse."
On his journey to change the narrative that 'men struggle', Patterson affirmed: "I'm trying to change the narrative. When you do live with things like this it doesn't mean that life has to come to an end.
"I think ultimately from a young age we are told not to show emotion and 'man up'. There's too many men are taking their lives on a daily basis because they're too proud to reach out."
Talking about the challenge, the TV star confirmed that he was 'mentally and physically I have never been stronger'.
As a devoted father, Patterson said that he misses his daughter terribly but the challenge 'gives me a huge amount of purpose'.
He further added: "I talk to her [India] every other day. It was a tough decision but ultimately I felt like her Daddy doing this is hopefully a huge amount of inspiration."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, UK News
Rashi Agarwal