A podcast episode exploring suicide, mental health and grief with Roman Kemp

The Happy Place Podcast is hosted by Fearne Cotton where she talks to incredible people about ‘life, loss and everything in between.’ Episode 6 features Capital Breakfast Show Host, Roman Kemp, who lost his best friend and producer, Joe Lyons, to suicide in 2020. The episode covers topics of guilt, self-comparison, the aftermath of suicide and mental health. It also focuses on being bold about using the word suicide and naming it, in order to do something about it and check up on our loved ones. 

Roman discusses with Fearne the importance of constantly checking up on our friends to see if they are really okay. He believes the stigma surrounding suicide needs to be removed and therefore he suggests that conversations surrounding mental health and suicide awareness need to begin at a young age. He talks about normalising being open about depression and suicide and goes on to talk about men’s mental health and his own struggles that for years he found incredibly difficult to open up and talk about. This episode gives tips on how to ask for help and how to recognise your own feelings, especially in the age of social media. 

The main focus of this podcast episode is to remind us of the importance of friendship and checking up on our loved ones. This is a great episode to listen to  if you want to hear about how others have dealt with losing someone to suicide. It is also helpful for those who may be worried about their loved ones as it gives advice on how to check up on your friends and the importance of doing so. You can listen to the podcast episode here.