Ricky Hatton opens up on trying to take his own life and admits 'I almost wasn’t here'

Ricky Hatton has bravely revealed that he tried to take his own life and hopes that spreading awareness will save other people experiencing similar thoughts. The British boxing icon struggled with his mental health after retiring from the sport in 2012.

Hatton admits that his consumption of alcohol went “off the rails” and that it had prompted him to start taking drugs. At the time, he says he wondered whether he would drink himself to death. The 46-year-old has now opened up on trying to kill himself “several times” as part of a poster campaign aimed at raising awareness of depression and suicide.

"There were times when I hadn't had a drink for days and I'd still come home and if something went through my mind I'd start pondering something. It was the same outcome whether I was having a drink or wasn't having a drink.

"But in the end I thought I'll end up drinking myself to death because I was so miserable. I was coming off the rails with my drinking and that led to drugs. It was like a runaway train."

Hatton’s comments come as part of an exercise by the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). Posters have been displayed which show a photo of Hatton and the words: “I felt suicidal. I stayed.”

By talking about his own experience with depression and suicide, Hatton hopes that he can convince other people going through similar episodes. "I almost wasn’t here. But in the end I decided to stay. There’s always a reason to stay. You don’t think it at the time,” Hatton continued.

"But there always is. After doing so, these days my job isn’t just boxing, it is to help spread the word and help people in the same place I was a few years ago."

Hatton, a multi-weight world champion, won 45 of his 48 professional fights. Since his retirement, he has worked as a promoter and trainer.