Rapper, presenter and podcadter Professor Green – aka Stephen Manderson – is a key campaigner for men’s mental health and says his life spiralled to a dark place two years ago
Professor Green says he was once on a dark road that could have led to suicide, as he campaigns for men struggling with mental health issues to seek help. The multi-platinum-selling rapper, 42, real name Stephen Manderson, lost his father to suicide 18 years ago and was diagnosed with ADHD and autism at 40. He said: “Forty years of being me nearly killed me. And I don’t think it’s dissimilar to what a lot of people go through when we hit middle age.”
Stephen spearheaded a study by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy which reveals 65% of men have faced mental health issues in the past three years. But 70% of the 2,500 men surveyed will only consider therapy if they reach breaking point.
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Stephen’s father Peter took his own life when the star was 24, but the rapper said of his struggles: “I’ve never tried to kill myself, but through misuse of substances, to a really dangerous extent and in isolation, there was every chance of death by misadventure could have occurred.”
Stephen, who co-parents his son Slimane, five, with his ex, actress Karima McAdams, hit rock bottom two years ago. He said: “I thought, ‘Am I an addict?’ I don’t think I am. It’s not something I wake up and do.’ I was always at crisis point and trying to cope. They were escape decisions. [The] crisis point took me to a psychiatrist two years ago, which led me to my ADHD and autism assessment. I didn’t understand any of it.
“Coming out the other side and sitting with the shame of it, but realising that there was every chance that it [suicide] could have happened, I could have put my son through everything I went through and then some. I was going through stuff I couldn’t tolerate. I think that’s a huge problem with lots of men. Men generally only seek help at the point of crisis.”
Now clean and sober, Stephen, of Brockley, South East London, collaborated with Health Secretary Wes Streeting on the first men’s health strategy for England. Launched last year, it focuses on suicide prevention, and alcohol and gambling issues. As a spokesman for BACP, Stephen wants to help improve education around male mental health. He said therapy and being a parent have helped him resolve issues around his dad’s suicide. He said: “I was young and I didn’t understand. I’d assessed the loss of my dad from every point, but never from the point of view of a parent.”
Stephen was married to reality star Millie Mackintosh from 2013 to 2016, and split from Karima in 2024, after a five-year engagement. He has also needed surgery in recent years for an intestinal problem. The Read All About It star released a new single, No Management, in January and is joining Example, aka Elliot Gleave, on tour in May. Stephen added: “Getting older is a luxury, there’s only one alternative.”
Find out more at outside-view.co.uk
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