Boxer Ricky Hatton has revealed his battle with depression and suicidal thoughts following the end of his career.
The 39-year-old said his first professional loss to Floyd Mayweather in December 2007 sparked a drinking problem that he struggled to deal with for years.
Hatton said he was convinced he was going to win the bout despite Mayweather also having an unbeaten record.
He added the defeat made him feel like he had ‘let down’ the 40,000 fans who travelled to Las Vegas to support him and fuelled feelings of depression, which was later made worse by a falling out with his parents in a row over money in 2013.
Ricky Hatton appeared on Loose Women today and opened up on his battle with alcoholism and depression
Speaking on ITV’s Loose Women, he said: ‘After the [Floyd] Mayweather fight I started drinking a lot more heavily and ultimately I fell out with my parents and that was difficult for me and I did not care if I lived or died.
‘I contemplated suicide many, many times. I would be sitting downstairs with a knife and be thinking of slitting my wrists but I couldn’t go through with it.
‘I started thinking of different ways to get through it and I thought I could drink myself to death.
‘So consequently I got more depressed and I ended up taking drugs to enable me to drink more and it was a vicious circle.’
The former world light-welterweight and welterweight champion said he was overcoming his problems now and wanted to end the stigma around mental health.
He said: ‘A big thing for me is not having shame in admitting when I need to cry. Mental illness is a problem, a disease, like anything else.
‘It does not matter who I faced in the boxing ring; I knew I could not get beat this problem on my own.’
Last year Hatton split with wife Jennifer after 11 years together and said he believed people expected him to have a relapse, but that his determination saw him through.
He said: ‘We were together 11 years and have two wonderful kids and we had wonderful times and when I fell out with my parents she was the rock that brought me through that stage.
‘When that came to a finish I bet everyone thought, “Oh lord, Ricky is going to go down this road”, but I didn’t because I learnt that that you should not be scared and not keep it in.’
Hatton said his problems began after the Mayweather defeat because he had only tasted success previously.
He said: ‘It was my first taste of defeat as a pro after 35 fights. Even though it was Floyd Mayweather, I turned up thinking I was going to beat him.
‘I became so used to success and then all of a sudden it was like “I’m not used to this.”‘
He added he felt under immense pressure because 40,000 Brits made the trip across the Atlantic to support him.
The boxer, pictured on the show on his Twitter account, said his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2007 started his problems with alcohol
Hatton said: ‘The fanbase was unbelievable. I genuinely went out there thinking I would beat him and I had 40,000 fans, including people close to me, saying it had cost them a fortune to come but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
‘I had such a backing and when I got beat I thought I had let them all down. That’s where it started.
‘Then I had a comeback fight at the City of Manchester Stadium and everyone knows I am a Man City fan so when I won that I was up after that, and then when I got beat by Manny Pacquiao I was down again.
‘Then I ended up falling out with my parents and my trainer Billy Graham, who I’m pleased to say I am friends again with, but my mind was going and I turned to drink.’
The boxer also called on those who run his former sport to do more to combat mental illness and support athletes.
He said: ‘There’s no sport where you are more on your own and I think that’s something boxing needs to look at.
‘The British board does a wonderful job medically and the promoters look after their fighters but more needs to be done around mental health.
‘Unlike football where you have teammates and a football club behind you when you lose, in boxing you are left on your own.’