Prince William tells Peter Crouch it is a 'strength' to talk about your mental health
The podcast appearance comes ahead of the Heads Up FA Cup Final on Saturday
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Your support makes all the difference.Prince William has told Peter Crouch that talking about mental health is a “strength” and not a sign of “weakness”, during an appearance on the footballer’s BBC podcast.
The Duke of Cambridge took part in a special episode of BBC Radio Five Live’s That Peter Crouch Podcast, to talk about the ongoing Heads Up campaign, being spearheaded by the Cambridges.
The podcast sees the Duke talk about mental health and how best to support people, particularly during lockdown, alongside BBC sports journalist Tom Fordyce and radio presenter Chris Stark.
William said: “We all have mental health, and we all have to stay mentally fit. It’s a strength to talk about your mental health, it’s not a weakness. You know if you’re not feeling well, something’s bothering you, talk about it – it’s not a problem.”
Crouch, a former professional football for England, says that he has struggled in a “male-orientated” environment: “And any weakness shown is an excuse not to make it."
Although he does admit that talking has helped him feel more positively: "When I started talking about it and opened up, I did feel so much better, and that was just through talking.”
The episode also covers the Duke’s experiences of playing football and watching matches as a fan; William is a well-known Aston Villa fan.
It was recorded in two parts – the first at Kensington Palace in March and then via video call during lockdown in early July.
On Saturday 1 August the FA Cup Final will take place; this season the competition has partnered with Heads Up in a bid to “spark the biggest ever conversation” about mental health in football. The match has even been officially renamed in honour of mental health awareness.
The Football Association, Premier League, English Football League and other leading figures in the sport have also signed the ‘Mentally Healthy Football’ declaration to show that the issue of mental health is a priority.
Prince William, who has been vocal about his mental health in recent years, wants to use his position of influence as the FA president to show the nation “mental health is just as important as physical health”.
Crouch previously appeared on the BBC’s documentary A Royal Team Talk alongside The Duke in May 2019. The documentary saw Peter open up for the first time about the verbal abuse he suffered as a teenager and young adult, and the impact this had upon his mental health.
On 27 July, David Beckham spoke at a Heads Up mental health summit, saying that he believed social media would have made the “brutal” reaction to his 1998 World Cup red card even worse.
He said: “I think that when I was playing, stakes were high, but I don’t think they were as high as they are now in the game and I feel there are so many more distractions and obstacles now that can affect players from a very young age – and that’s why I feel that what you’ve [Prince William] done, what you’ve created and what is happening here with this movement is so important.”
The podcast is available to listen to on Wednesday 29 July.
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