Eighteen months ago, James Middleton was in the grips of a deep, dark depression.
Now, on the other side, the youngest Middleton brother has revealed how he got through it – with the support of his family.
In a new interview with the the Telegraph, the 32-year-old said that he attended cognitive behavioural therapy sessions with his family, including his sister, Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge.
In previous times, James had admitted that he struggled to communicate with his friends and family, so when when asked by the publication who had attended the sessions, it was wonderful to hear him say “all of them”.
“Not necessarily at the same time, but either individually and [sometimes] together. And that was so important because that helped them understand me and how my mind was working,” he said.
“And I think the way the therapy helped me was that I didn’t need my family to say, ‘What can we do?’ The only thing they could do was just come to some of the therapy sessions to start to understand.”
James Middleton (l) and his sister, the Duchess of Cambridge (r).
(Source: Getty Images)James has always been quite open when it comes to his battle with mental health and has also outwardly spoken about his struggle with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Only last week, he shared a stunning post on Instagram to share an emotional message for World Mental Health Day.
Taking to his account, James shared a beautiful picture of his dog, Ella with the caption: “This is Ella & these are the eyes which helped me get through the insufferable darkness,” he penned.
“The gentle touch of your wet nose and a loving lick was enough to make me feel brave.I will forever be in your debt. Thank you Ella”.
James has always been very passionate in promoting mental health awareness and even wrote an article for the Daily Mail where he recounted his experience of suffering in silence.
“I know I’m richly blessed and live a privileged life,” he wrote.
“But it did not make me immune to depression. It is tricky to describe the condition. It is not merely sadness. It is an illness, a cancer of the mind.”
Middleton explained that he had suffered from severe dyslexia since his childhood, which affected him socially and caused him to miss out on school work.
He also admitted that in 2017, he was in a “fog”.
“I barely functioned, stopped talking to my friends, went through the motions of living and working but achieved nothing at all.”
Eventually, James went to his doctor where he started making progress.
“I’d finally confronted the fact that I couldn’t cope any longer, that I wasn’t all right; that I desperately needed help. And this recognition led to a sort of calm: I knew if I accepted help there would be hope. It was a tiny spark of light in the darkness.”
WATCH NEXT: James Middleton announces his engagement to Alizee Thevenet
Things are certainly looking up for James, after he announced his engagement to his gorgeous 29-year-old girlfriend Alizee Thevenet at the beginning of the month.
Sharing an image to his Instagram grid on Sunday, October 6, the youngest Middleton, aged 32, wrote: ” ❤️She said OUI ❤️”
He continued: “Our secret is out but we couldn’t be happier to share the news 🥂🍾#jalizee”
The adorable picture featured the two lovebirds in an embrace among some beautiful countryside.
Congratulations! Kate Middleton’s younger brother James is engaged to French girlfriend Alizee Thevenet.
(Source: Instagram / @jmidy)Also featured in the gorgeous snap was Alizee’s engagement ring, which features a large sapphire stone.
