Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick has admitted he felt suicidal after he was accused of malpractice.
The Supervet star, 53, was accused of malpractice by four vets back in 2018 after a tortoise died.
Hermes the tortoise had had three of his legs chewed off by rats while in hibernation.
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Noel discussed euthanasia with the owner, but they decided to go ahead and had three bionic legs attached.
Sadly Hermes died just a few months later, but reportedly from an unrelated health condition.
What has Sueprvet Noel said about depression?
While speaking on Desert Island Discs, Noel says this ordeal led to a deep depression. And he even had suicidal thoughts.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 show, Noel said: “I was suicidal. That’s the nuts and bolts of it.”
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Noel was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing and says he now holds no “acrimony” towards the group of vets that complained.
He also said: “What was going through my head was, is it ethical to try and save this animal’s life even if it is possible?”
What has Noel said about the tortoise?
“Just because something is possible doesn’t make it the right thing to do. Having taken all that advice and gone through dozens of hours of planning, we set out to take off the infected portions of the limbs.
“Subsequently we did implant three bionic limbs… which were actually working very well when unfortunately Hermes had a probable gastroenteric problem and died.
“But that was well after what I had done. We were very transparent about that on the show.”
What did the vets claim against Supervet Noel?
Meanwhile in his book, How Animals Saved My Life: Being The Supervet, he further elaborated on this troubling time.
Here we wrote: “The complainants maintained I had put self-promotion above my commitment to the health and welfare of my patient and requested a full disciplinary hearing.
“Depending on the outcome, I could face a suspension or even be struck off, meaning I would no longer be allowed to practice veterinary medicine, which had been the central purpose of my life for as long as I could remember.
“As the investigation process began, I sank into a big cloud of depression. And in spite of seeking professional help, it wouldn’t budge.”
However, he wrote of how a fall down the stairs – which left him with a broken neck – ultimately helped him pull out of his depressive state.
He continued: “I wondered if some giant hand of fate had pushed me down the stairs. To force me to deal with the growing horde of emotional demons in my head.
“I was trapped inside my own body for the first time in my life. Unable to move, unable to escape the thoughts that crashed around in my head, which normally would have been sublimated into simply working harder.”
*Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at [email protected].
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