Tyson Fury

• In 2016, Fury publicly said he had been told he had a form of bipolar disorder and described himself using the older term “manic depressive.” He discussed the condition while speaking about a severe period of depression and his withdrawal from boxing. [1]

• Fury has described a severe depressive period after winning the heavyweight championship in 2015. He said he stopped training, lost interest in boxing and reached a point where he did not want to live. During this period, he also described heavy drinking and cocaine use. [1]
• He later recounted driving his Ferrari at high speed toward a bridge while intending to end his life, before deciding not to go through with it. [3]

• Fury has said that he first sought professional help for his mental health in 2016. He has described seeing a psychiatrist and later working with a psychologist as he came to understand and manage his difficulties. [5][3]
• He has also described exercise and routine as central to managing his mental health. In 2023, he said he relied on regular training, a healthy lifestyle, structure and short-term goals from day to day. [5]
• Fury has also said that his Christian faith played an important role in helping him change direction during his lowest period. [3]

• In 2017, as he prepared for a return to boxing, Fury said he had moved on from the “dark and scary place” he had been living in and described depression as the hardest fight of his life. He returned to professional competition in June 2018 after more than two years away. [2][4]
• Fury has continued to present his mental health as something requiring ongoing attention rather than as permanently resolved. In 2023, his wife Paris said his difficulties were less severe than they had once been, while describing continuing periods of low mood and withdrawal. [5]

• Fury has become a prominent advocate for greater openness about mental health. He has said that speaking publicly about his own struggles was one of the best things he did and has encouraged others, particularly young athletes, to seek help rather than keep problems to themselves. [5][6]
• He has continued to discuss mental health publicly because he believes his experience may be useful to other people facing similar difficulties. [5]

“This isn’t just a fight for Tyson Fury, this is a fight for depression, mental health problems.”

— Tyson Fury [7]