Max Whitlock OBE appointed as Mental Health UK Ambassador
Great Britain’s most decorated gymnast takes up an ambassadorial role to inspire more people to talk about their mental health.
Introduced to gymnastics at the age of seven, Max Whitlock OBE rose through the ranks to make his Olympic debut in front of a home crowd at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Three gold medals followed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 adding to the multiple titles won at Commonwealth, European and World Championships. Today, Max is Team GB’s greatest ever gymnast.
Earlier this year, Max told us about his own lived experience of poor mental health and how he “struggled at the least likely time”, shortly after he had retained his Olympic title in Tokyo. He detailed how he went through a phase where he “felt completely lost”.
Max’s powerful story is a reminder to us all that anyone can experience a mental health problem at any given time. Now, he wants to use his platform to inspire more people to have the same confidence to be open and talk about their mental health, in the same way that proved vital for him.
On his appointment as an ambassador for Mental Health UK, Max Whitlock OBE said: “I’m massively excited to work with Mental Health UK. There’s always more that can be done in this space to help more and more people. I want to see what I can do to help people not only gain the tools to support themselves when they need them but actually gain the tools before they may need them.”
You can watch our conversation with Max in full below.
Being an ambassador for Mental Health UK means representing our charity and influencing the way people think and feel about mental health by sharing your story and enthusiasm. We’re proud of our ambassadors who help us to spread the word about mental health and the support available so that more people can live their best possible lives. Find out more about Mental Health UK’s ambassadors here.
Learn about mental health
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with a mental health condition, or you want to learn more about different mental health conditions, we’ve got information on symptoms, treatments, and useful contacts.
