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Blue star Duncan James has opened up about seeking help after struggling with his mental health during lockdown.
The singer – who sat down for an exclusive OK! VIP interview with his Brazilian boyfriend Rodrigo Reis – has revealed that he has been having therapy since his anxiety and depression escalated.
During the past year, Duncan, 43, has spent time living with his mum and couldn't see Rodrigo, 27, for five months because of pandemic travel restrictions. He was also unable see his daughter, Tianie-Finn, 16, who was isolating.
He tells OK! that during this time: “I was getting a bit depressed and a bit crazy. Rodrigo said, 'Speak to someone'.
"In Britain, we always think, 'Oh, you only need a therapist if you’re crazy'. But when you look at people in America, they have therapists for everything. I think it’s been important for us as well.
"I started speaking to a therapist online and it really helped. It’s helped with my own anxieties and worries, and it was nice to have someone to talk to."
Duncan and Rodrigo's interview is their first as a couple. Brazilian-born Rodrigo is living in Belgium and being in different countries has put a strain on their two-and-a-half-year relationship.
But having travelled to the UK briefly for work, Rodrigo was back in Duncan’s arms following a period of self-isolation for the OK! Shoot.
Explaining his decision to get therapy, Duncan continued: “It was just a build-up of things. We’ve all struggled with our mental health, especially this last lockdown.
"It’s been tough. I got to a point where I said to Rodrigo, 'I feel I have no one to talk to. I can’t escape, I can’t do anything. It’s awful'.”
When OK! went to press, Rodrigo was back in Belgium. And while visa restrictions mean he is unable to move here for another year, the couple are looking at buying a house in east London – and possibly even a home in Portugal.
Duncan says: “It’s been really hard. This last lockdown has been the toughest for us. We got into a rhythm of seeing each other every weekend. And then lockdown came and we didn’t see each other for five months, which was really hard. But we got through that.”
Read more from Duncan, including all the details of his and Rodrigo's plans for marriage and kids, in the full interview. Sign up – for free! – to be an OK VIP and gain access.
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