Heston Blumenthal was left in tears as he recalled how his wife "saved his life" by having him sectioned.
The celebrity chef, 58, revealed his bipolar diagnosis earlier this year, having previously opened up about his late attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in 2017.
During a segment on Tuesday’s The One Show, Blumenthal credited his wife, entrepreneur Melanie Ceysson, for playing a pivotal role in getting him the necessary support after noticing “extremes” in his behaviour.
‘”These recurring highs to lows were getting strong and stronger and more regular,” the chef, known for his three-Michelin-star restaurant The Fat Duck in Berkshire, said.“I was on a massive high and had been for several days. I was having hallucinations, feelings of paranoia and even suicidal thoughts.”
Ceysson said he was a “danger” to himself and admitted she felt she had no other choice but to “push the red button”.
Becoming tearful as he recalled the difficult period of his life, he shared: “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’.”
The 36-year-old said that she experienced “the most horrible hours of my life” at the time, but she was “so exhausted”.
Blumenthal told her: “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.
“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 Blumenthal publicly announced his diagnosis in May, he said that he believed his neurodivergence had played a significant role in his business success.
“My most artistic, innovative and exciting work is because I am neurodivergent, which I describe as my superpower,” the chef remarked.
Heston and Melanie married in her native France in March last year.
The experimental chef relocated to France in 2018 after feeling overwhelmed by his hectic restaurant life.
They first met in the Alps, where she was working and assigned to look after Heston during a skiing holiday.
The One Show airs weeknights at 7pm on BBC One
