Featured Image Credit: Rich Gold / Maximum Film/ Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: Celebrity, Mental Health, Stephen Graham, TV and Film, UOKM8
Rashi Agarwal
Topics: Celebrity, Mental Health, Stephen Graham, TV and Film, UOKM8
Stephen Graham revealed how he used to wear clothes to hide his neck after a devastating suicide attempt.
We are talking about one of Liverpool's most famous actors, Stephen Graham, who has come a long way from being a charmer on-screen to receiving an OBE from King Charles last December.
The four-time BAFTA-nominated actor has been through thick and thin though, and today has come out victorious in his own life's struggle, including battling with depression and a failed suicide attempt.
Stephen is a mixed-race scouser with Jamaican and Swedish heritage from Kirkby.
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The Line of Duty actor claimed to have faced racism on the streets of Liverpool to the point where he felt unsure of his existence in the world as a mixed-race kid.
Saved by his mother from the constant racial abuse, Stephen explained how he was called the 'n-word' in his younger days.
"I'm mixed race and that was kind of frowned on in those days. There were times growing up when I was slightly unsure where I fitted in," he explained.
"That n-word popped up when I was younger."
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At the age of eight, Stephen was encouraged to take up acting as a career, while studying at Overdale Primary School in Kirkby.
Lucky for him, he was noticed by Blood Brothers star, Andrew Schofield, who saw him perform as Jim Hawkins in a school production of Treasure Island.
Talking about his battle with depression in his 20s, it drove him to an extent where he tried to take his own life but the rope 'snapped'."
In my early twenties, I suffered from really bad depression and tried to take my own life once," he told in an interview with The Sunday Times.
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"Thankfully, the rope snapped and I’m here today. But I know the loneliness, isolation and feeling you can’t cope in the world."
However, his attempt to hide the rope marks with a high-neck jumper failed after his mum noticed it, and he realised the truth couldn't stay hidden any longer.
Stephen spoke on the life-altering incident on Radio Four's Desert Island Discs, he narrated: "I had a breakdown. Going to that big London to do it on your own. Then I went back home. [My parents] were trying to see what was happening with me.
"I'll never forget the tears coming down both their faces. Then the next day I tried to hang myself. It was very calculated.
"I had to put on a high-neck jumper. My mum kind of saw it. Then everything came out. Life was worth living thankfully," he said.
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Today, the Virtues actor is happily married to his Time co-star, Hannah Walters, who came into his life after the failed suicide attempt.
"This is kind of where Hannah came into my life properly. She knew what had happened. She was always in close contact with my mum," Stephen said.
After going through upheaval, Stephen went on to become a hugely successful actor, carving a niche for himself in cinemas and TV screens.
Stephen is best known for his roles as John Corbett in Line of Duty, as Al Capone in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, as Eric McNally in BBC drama Time, Peaky Blinders, and many more.
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This is England, Snatch, Boiling Point, and Greyhound are some of the notable films of his impressive career.
Last year, the 49-year-old actor was amongst the achievers in King Charles III's first New Year Honours List, and received an OBE for his services to drama.
He dedicated the award to his late mum, whom he considered to be an 'incredible, inspirational' woman with the 'purest heart'.
If you've been affected by anything in this article, you can contact MIND: 0300 123 3393, Samaritans: 116 123 or
CALM: outside London 0808 802 5858, inside London 0800 58 58 58 via website or phone.