The Princess of Wales’ brother has revealed that he almost took his own life before being saved by his dog.
James Middleton has previously said that depression, which he suffers from, is “cancer of the mind”. In his forthcoming memoir, he said that if it weren’t for his dog Ella, he would have succumbed to it.
In an excerpt from her book ‘Meet Ella’ released on Daily MailThe 37-year-old wrote that around 2 a.m. one night in November 2017 he felt that life was “no longer worth living.”
He wrote that he was unable to sleep or eat prior to his mental health crisis.
In the days before he contemplated suicide, Mr Middleton said he completely isolated himself from others. “I hide behind a door with two locks, unreachable,” he said.
He wrote that during the fateful night that nearly ended it all, Mr. Middleton considered jumping off the roof of his apartment building.
In the Daily Mail excerpt, he wrote that he wanted to “escape from myself”, adding: “Dark thoughts crowd me. What can I do to make them stop? I think about jumping off the roof. Who would find me? A passing taxi driver? A neighbour?”
He explained that it was when he looked back into his apartment through the skylight that he saw Ella’s “kind eyes looking at me.”
Her soft features were enough to save him, he wrote. “Her brown eyes are still staring at me intensely, soulful and pleading, and when my gaze locks with hers again, my brain calms down,” he wrote.
Mr Middleton said it was concern about how Ella would cope if he took his own life that convinced him not to do so.
He wrote: “In that instant I know I won’t jump. What would happen to Ella if I died? How long would she have to wait alone in the apartment for someone to find her?”
Summing up the critical role his dog played, he wrote: “She is the reason I don’t take that fatal leap. She is Ella, the dog who saved my life.”
Samaritans can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
If you need an answer immediately, it is best to call them by phone. You can contact them by calling 116 123, sending an email jo@samaritans.org or visiting www.samaritanos.org.