James Arthur has begged his X Factor friend Jahmene Douglas to get in touch, after he posted worrying messages about his battle with depression on Twitter.
Jahmene, who was runner-up to James in series nine back in 2012, revealed he had suicidal thoughts and was feeling “broken, lost and worthless”.
Fans were concerned as the 25-year-old posted an emotional message on the social media site, saying: “I don’t know what to do any more.”
And Say You Won’t Let Go singer James was obviously worried too, contacting Jahmene and then tweeting: “Brother I’m here for you.
“Answer your phone. I know what you’re going through. Pick up.”
The soul and gospel singer – who had previously spoken out about the abuse he and his mother suffered at the hands of his father – posted the long message on Thursday night.
In the heart-breaking note, Jahmene opened up about the depths of his battle with depression.
Titled “This is me…” the message started “I don’t know what to do any more. My mind is plagued with suicidal thoughts whenever my defences are down.
“I feel so broken, lost and worthless. It doesn’t seem to matter how much I try to fix myself, who I talk to or what I put in place. It always comes back to this.”
He ended the long note with: “All I am ever left with is the desire to die. I don’t want it, but I do.
“That’s the inner battle. I’m scared the next time I try I will succeed because I have nothing in place any more.”
Fans immediately replied, begging Jahmene to stay strong and get help and reminding him he was loved and not alone. And his X Factor friend James did the same.
This is not the first time Jahmene has spoken about his mental health difficulties.
He admitted to ‘struggling daily’ with suicidal thoughts when he appeared on ITV’s Lorraine last year, due to the impact of his father’s 18 years of abuse.
And his brother Daniel tragically committed suicide eight years ago, after previously saving Jahmene’s life when he had taken an overdose aged 15.
James, 29, has spoken out about his own mental health issues and described how they affected his career.
In an interview on This Morning, he explained: “I’ve suffered with depression and I’m an anxious character.
“Even before the X Factor I was self-medicating quite a bit to just to get myself through the day.
“Then when I was on the show, everything happened so quickly and I just wasn’t prepared for the level of attention and scurrility that came with it.
“The whole thing was so bizarre and I didn’t know how to deal with it. So I pressed the self-destruct button.”