'A huge inspiration' – Neil Robertson on how 'fantastic' Tyson Fury helped wife Mille win mental health battle
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
ByEurosport
Published 07/09/2022 at 10:23 GMT
Masters champion Neil Robertson has pinpointed Tyson Fury's recovery from mental health illness as a key reason behind his wife Mille's success in overcoming depression. The Australian feels Fury's willingess to openly discuss the challenges he has faced outside of the boxing ring is a huge inspiration. "It is fantastic to see people like that come out and talk about it," said Robertson.
The moment Neil Robertson won the Masters
Neil Robertson has praised Tyson Fury for speaking honestly about his battle with depression, citing the heavyweight boxer as a key inspiration to wife Mille's success in coping with anxiety and a dependency on alcohol to overcome mental health illness.
The Masters champion admits Mille suffered similar challenges to Fury, whose weight infamously ballooned as he became addicted to drugs and drink to help him cope in the aftermath of becoming world heavyweight boxing champion with victory over Ukraine icon Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.
The undefeated Mancunian opened up about his ongoing issues with depression after returning to the ring in the 2020 documentary Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King as he successfully reclaimed the heavyweight belts after three epic fights with American great Deontay Wilder between 2018 and 2021.
"Mille is on top of it. She tries to help people and talk to people about it as well. The person I always go back to is Tyson Fury when he did that documentary," said Robertson.
"He was talking about his troubles. Pretty much all of his experiences apart from the drugs was everything Mille went through.
"I'm sure it is something millions have gone through as well all around the world that are having to deal with this.
"He has been a huge inspiration with what he's done to talk about it. He's still very active on social media and is always talking about it even if he has a bit of an off-day himself.
"It is fantastic to see people like that come out and talk about it. It has made a huge financial breakthrough in getting more financial support to the people that really need it as well."
Robertson said he consulted Ronnie O'Sullivan for advice after Mille was taken to hospital in 2018 as the realisation dawned that intensive specialised treatment would be needed to cope with alcohol abuse and the grim shadow of suicidal thoughts.
O'Sullivan has battled depression throughout his career, famously turning to a rigorous running regime to help him improve his health.
"It would be around the 2018 Championship League when I got a call from my manager Django (Fung) saying there had been an incident at home," said Robertson on the Talking Snooker podcast.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/04/25/3361983-68719933-2560-1440.jpg)
Robertson makes thrilling 147 maximum that will ‘live forever’
"I was in tears when I left. [Fellow professional] Barry Hawkins saw me and texted me straight away saying 'I hope everything is OK mate'.
"I got home and Mille had been taken to the hospital. Something pretty bad happened. I didn't know what to do. I called Django because he was one of the few people who knew what was going on and we were just trying to find help.
"We'd already been to a couple of specialists and it wasn't really doing much. Django knew Ronnie really well and Ronnie had gone through similar things where he's talked about depression and I'm pretty sure Ronnie has dealt with anxiety and social anxiety.
"Ronnie put me in touch with these people who have gone through it themselves and have come through the other side. That was the beginning of the healing process of helping Mille recover.
"She went to a rehab clinic which was absolutely amazing. It cost a lot of money.
"That's why I get frustrated when I hear stories of people committing suicide when they haven't had the help because they can't afford it," said the Melburnian, who has won 23 ranking titles between 2006 and 2022 in a gilded career.
"I know the NHS try to do everything they can, but they just don't have the funding to help everyone.
"I was in a very fortunate position to be able to pay the money to put her into a private clinic where she stayed for a month.
"They gave her the tools to use. She got off the alcohol and everything. It was a tough process, but when she came out she really transformed.
"You still go to the AA meetings and talk about it. It is something to help you get on top of it."
2010 world champion Robertson has spoken to Eurosport extensively about Mille's battle with depression, but admits her successful recovery is more impressive than any title he has won on the green baize.
"What she has done is absolutely incredible," he said. "Trying to raise her son the best she could and through all of this she got a Masters degree at Cambridge University. That is hard enough as it is if you don't have problems.
"Having me away at snooker tournaments and trying to deal with anxiety and depression. For me, it kind of surpasses anything I've achieved in snooker. For her to do that on a personal level is absolutely amazing.
"Now everything is fine. We've got a great life and she has made a full recovery."
Robertson feels people should openly discuss the illness rather than keep it bottled up, with fellow professionals , Shaun Murphy, Martin Gould and Mark Allen all speaking about their mental malaise away from the sport in recent times.
"It starts with anxiety and people start to use other things to help them through it," said Robertson.
"Mille used alcohol, a glass of wine to chill and relax to start off with, then more and more you need more to suppress it, but then the anxiety gets worse. Then you become depressed because you are feeding your body with stuff that won't make you feel good.
"I'd basically lose, come home, try to help Mille as much as possible, get [son] Alexander to school. I barely practised because I was spending four or five hours every day researching anxiety and trying to find a way to help."
In the UK and Irish Republic contact Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement