Man who went viral after tweeting 'I am not ok' says reaction has been 'phenomenal'

19 October 2020, 12:11

Edmund O'Leary, 51, from Surrey shared the candid message on Twitter over the weekend.

A man from Surrey who caught international attention after tweeting about his mental health has said that the reaction has been 'phenomenal'.

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Father-of-two Edmund O'Leary, 51, who has been living alone during the lockdown posted a message over the weekend reading: "I am not ok. Feeling rock bottom. Please take a few seconds to say hello if you see this tweet. Thank you."

He was flooded with support from across the world after his post, which has since racked up almost 300,000 likes and 4,600 replies.

Edmund appeared on This Morning today to discuss his tweet and the aftermath, and revealed that the response has been 'phenomenal'.

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He told hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford: "It was more than a tonic, it was totally unexpected, the reaction has been absolutely phenomenal."

When Ruth asked what led him to tweet it, he responded: "On friday I was feeling very depressed, i was feeling more and more depressed as the hours were passing, feeling very isolated, and I just felt there wasn't much more I could take, and I just reflected don a friend of mine on twitter, a twitter friend that has mental health problems.

"Sometimes he tweets before he goes to bed 'says hi if theres anyone out there who can say goodnight', I always acknowledge his tweet".

"I was just thinking if it works for him it may work for me."

And speaking about the response, he added: I’ve had many men send me private messages as well

as normal tweets to say that they could not do what i did. They just don't have the courage to do so, and they said you’re a courageous man for doing so. They were applauding me.

And giving advice to men who are suffering with their mental health, he added: "what i would say to your viewers, to men: Try to reach out for help, don’t feel alone, we are in for a pretty awful winter by all accounts, so reach out for help, reach out to loved ones, seek medical help if necessary."

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