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Heston Blumenthal has revealed how his wife ‘saved his life’ after having him sectioned.
The celebrity chef, 58, owns the three-Michelin-star restaurant the Fat Duck in Berkshire and over the years has also appeared on TV shows including Kitchen Chemistry, Heston’s Feasts and on Top Chef and MasterChef Australia.
Earlier this year Heston revealed that he’d been diagnosed as bipolar after previously receiving a positive assessment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2017.
However, this week he emotionally recalled how the diagnosis came after his wife, entrepreneur Melanie Ceysson, 36, sought help to have him admitted to hospital under the mental health act.
During an appearance on The One Show, the couple recalled what unfolded at the time.
Experiencing ‘crashing lows’, Heston said his wife became extremely worried after witnessing ‘extremes in behaviour’.
‘These recurring highs to lows were getting strong and stronger and more regular. I was on a massive high and had been for several days. I was having hallucinations, feelings of paranoia and even suicidal thoughts,’ he said.
As he broke down in tears his wife said he was a ‘danger to yourself’ and she felt she had no other choice but to ‘push the red button’.
He continued: ‘Melanie made the difficult decision to have me sectioned which involved me being sedated. There was knock on the door, there’s a policeman, then five firemen and then a doctor with an assistant and I was like “What the hell is going on here?’ And then I saw the doctor pulling out this big syringe and then I woke up in hospital”.’
Melanie said that she experienced ‘the most horrible hours of my life’ at the time, but she was ‘so exhausted’.
‘I realise now looking back on it, it’s horrible for people that care about you. At the end of the day you saved my life,’ Heston told her.
He added: ‘Since my diagnosis I’ve learned a lot more about myself, and I’ve realised that a lot of my creativity is thanks to bipolar.
‘I’m hoping that talking about it can change the way we see the condition and put it in the spotlight for all the right reasons.’
When publicly announcing his diagnosis in May, Heston said he believed his neurodivergence was closely linked to his business success.
‘My most artistic, innovative and exciting work is because I am neurodivergent, which I describe as my superpower,’ he said.
Heston and Melanie married in her native France in March last year after the experimental cook, known for his whacky food combinations, moved there in 2018 after his busy restaurant life left him feeling like a ‘hamster on a wheel’.
They met in the Alps, where she was working and was assigned to look after Heston during a skiing holiday.
Melanie apparently didn’t know who Heston was and she ‘couldn’t even pronounce his name’ when they first met.
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The One Show airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV1.
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