- If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Joe Tracini has admitted he is still struggling to adjust after the Covid-19 pandemic and told how it has changed him as a person as he discussed his mental health.
The former Hollyoaks star, 35, known for playing Dennis Savage on the soap, said he has struggled to adjust to the world following the strict Covid lockdowns.
He confessed he is ‘not the same person’ anymore and is ‘waiting for the old me to turn up’ as he spoke about living with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
BPD is a disorder which impacts a person’s ability to regulate emotions and can increase impulsivity and affect how a person feels about themselves.
Appearing on Tuesday’s Lorraine, he said: ‘I still feel the most mental you could possibly be most days, especially at the moment.
‘I’ve not been able to adjust into the world since the lockdowns and stuff like that. I am not the same person I used to be, and I think that is why I am still struggling and am waiting for the old me to turn up, but I didn’t go anywhere, I am still sat here.’
Coronation Street’s Beverley Callard, who is starring alongside him in a Sleeping Beauty pantomime – sweetly told him: ‘The old you was fantastic but the new you is too.’
Joe – who has opened up about his mental health in his book Ten Things I Hate About Me – has previously spoken about how the changes during Covid-19 crisis made living with BPD more difficult.
In September 2022, he told Lorraine how the ‘world changing’ has made it harder for him to ‘find reasons to stay alive every day’ as he spoke about having suicidal thoughts.
Joe coped in the Covid-19 lockdown by sharing funny videos online, including ones of him dancing, to uplift the nation but has also spoken about his difficulties during the pandemic.
Speaking about his mental health, he explained: ‘Every time I’ve thought about killing myself, it’s always stopped. It sometimes goes on for three weeks in a row, but it always stops.
‘But it’s harder now, I was feeling like this before the world turned upside down, so now the world has changed, it’s much harder to find reasons to stay alive every day.’
The star said he spent four months during Covid-19 pandemic with his girlfriend Holly and her family after he went to visit just before the first lockdown was imposed.
Joe candidly said his brain ‘doesn’t like’ him as he reflected on how he deals with negative thoughts.
Joe continued: ‘I do it like a conversation, I’m not having a chat, I have one set of thoughts and they’re all mine.
‘Ten per cent of me is boring and normal and enjoys my own company, but 90 per cent of me can’t stand me.
‘I thought if I could separate the thoughts, I might have a chance in not picking when I die.’
Joe said he deals with his negative thoughts by not treating it as ‘news’ anymore as he said he would feel disheartened when he would wake up every morning feeling the same way.
He also said he struggled with advice from mental health professionals not to be by himself because he spends a lot of his time alone.
If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
