Prince Harry played a big role in helping Iwan Thomas through a tough period in his life, the former Olympic athlete has revealed.

The Welsh sprinter, 50, reached the dizzy heights of silver at the Atlanta Games in 1996 before taking gold at the World Championships in 1997 and breaking world records. However, he has candidly admitted that years later he was having suicidal thoughts as he dealt with depression.

Speaking openly about the tough period in his life in his new book, the former Strictly contestant explained how all the highs of his career happened so quickly before being taken away from him. He revealed he sought counselling, but said it was words by Prince Harry that stuck with him.

The athlete met the Duke of Sussex in 2016 at a Heads Together event, the mental health initiative set up alongside Prince William and Princess Kate. He labelled the pivotal moment the “weirdest thing” as he stood alongside Harry flipping burgers.

But it was at that moment he found himself really opening up about his struggles. He wrote: “I hadn’t ever really spoken about depression or dark times. I suddenly just opened up to him. It was very bizarre but because he was a stranger I felt I could talk to him. He’s been through so much himself, it was easy to talk to him. It opened that tin and allowed me to talk to other people.”

Iwan admitted he wished he had opened up soon, saying it’s a “bit of a blokey thing not to talk”. But he admitted in bottling it up, it only makes the matter worse. “It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, whether you are a member of the Royal family or you drive a taxi. If depression is going to get to you, it’s going to get to you,” he continued.

Prince Harry has also been open with his mental health struggles in recent years. In May, he spoke passionately about mental health struggles during his trip to Nigeria wife Meghan Markle, which was in aid of the Invictus Games.

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