Ben Fogle has spoken with rare honesty about the mental breakdown that left him suffering from nausea, crippling anxiety and paranoia â admitting the episode took him completely by surprise.
The much-loved wildlife presenter, 51, who first shot to fame after appearing on the BBCâs Castaway in 2000, experienced a severe bout of depression in 2023.
Ben, who shares children Ludo, 16, and Iona, 14, with his wife Marina, has previously been open about how his mental health struggles often surface after returning from high-adrenaline expeditions. However, this episode proved very different.
Speaking in a new interview, Ben revealed:
âIt was a complete breakdown; I suffered from nausea, crippling anxiety and paranoia.â
He went on to explain that while he has since recovered, the experience felt important to share â particularly for younger men who often suppress their emotions.
âIâm better now, but I felt it important to share things when young men in particular tend to bottle them up,â he told The Telegraph.
âThereâs no need for shame or stigma; itâs just part of being human.â
A Diagnosis That Brought Understanding
In 2024, Ben revealed he had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At the time, he spoke candidly on Instagram about how âsome aspects of life had become a struggleâ.
The Animal Park star, who is also dyslexic, explained that he felt he had âchanged neurologicallyâ following his mental health difficulties.He was clear, however, that the diagnosis had not weakened him.
âIt does not make me fragile, just vulnerable,â Ben said, as he discussed adjusting to life after the diagnosis.
Reflecting on labels, he added:
âI hate labels. I always have. The idea that a single word defines us is too binary and lacks the nuances that distinguish us.
âWe are more than a sweeping binary word. I am privileged but I am also compassionate. I am a public figure but I am also quite shy.
âI am dyslexic and an award-winning writer. You get the message.â
Ben, who has been married to Marina since 2006, continued:
âI have recently been diagnosed with ADHD â cue eye rolling. I admit to my own cynicism, but the reality is that I have changed neurologically.
âA recent mental health storm was the catalyst for my diagnosis. I feel different and have done for some time.â
Finding Healing in Unexpected Places
He added that while certain aspects of daily life had become harder, the diagnosis had also brought clarity.
âWith a diagnosis comes understanding and reason,â he said.
âMaybe itâs my age, or perhaps something more complex in society. I have ADHD, but I am still me.â
Last year, Ben also revealed that saunas played a significant role in his recovery, crediting them with bringing him âtremendous healing and happinessâ.
Writing for The Times, he described how he had experienced saunas all over the world â from Sweden and Russia to Antarctica and even the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
What once served as a place of quiet reflection later became something more profound.
âAfter my mental health suffered, saunas became my medicine,â he admitted.
