Will Young has opened up about the ways he looks after his mental health and how far his career has come since Pop Idol.
Speaking on Bottoming, an LGBTQ+ mental health podcast, he told hosts Matthew and Brendan that the “worst type of loneliness I think is a sort of sense of abandonment…that’s certainly what I used to have.”
“You know that’s what I call a spiritual wounding, and that’s a tricky thing to fill, it’s a tricky chasm to fill, but it can be filled,” he continued.
The bonus episode, which was released on 9 May to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, also saw the Leave Right Now share his experiences of how therapy has helped him overcome issues he has faced in life.
Will added: “I think that there can be a type of loneliness that is specific to gay men as well actually.
“I often think about it and wonder if it’s linked to gay shame.
“To combat loneliness, in whatever form, is to get in touch with people on a deeper level.”
Speaking ahead of the 20th anniversary of his Pop Idol win in 2002, Will revealed that he has a love for gardening because he’s “a nosey bitch”.
“Because I have a lot of pots outside of my house, I talk to a lot of people in the garden out the front,” he said during his Bottoming appearance. “Because 1) I’m out there, and 2) I’m a nosey bitch and it starts a whole conversation, and I think that’s what life’s about.”
You can listen to the full episode below or by clicking here.