Former Strictly Come Dancing star Tyler West has broken down in tears while revealing he attempted to take his own life, a direct consequence of the severe post-traumatic stress he suffered after witnessing a murder as a teenager.
The Bridge and the Turning Point
In an emotional interview on Paul C. Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast, the 29-year-old broadcaster described reaching his lowest point. He recalled a night where he found himself on a bridge in the early hours, his phone dead, contemplating ending his life. "I felt so low, and I felt like, I can't stop thinking about this. I just want to switch off for a second," West shared.
He revealed that a single car driving past and beeping its horn became a pivotal moment of clarity. "And then I was like, you're not going to do this. I was like, you can't. I was like, no way, can you?" He returned home, went to bed, and carried on the next day, but the underlying trauma remained.
The Traumatic Event That Triggered His PTSD
The root of his anguish stemmed from an incident he saw from his bedroom window when he was just 14 years old. West watched as an argument between two local men escalated horrifically. One man produced a knife and slashed the other's neck. Even as his mother, a nurse, called the police, the attacker continued his assault.
"He did not stop slashing and stabbing and slashing and stabbing," West remembered, describing feeling completely frozen. He had to physically prevent his mother from rushing outside to help, as two more men emerged from a nearby flat.
Living with the Aftermath
The violent episode left deep psychological scars that dictated his life for years. West developed a profound PTSD that he "just couldn't get rid of." He became unable to use a knife and fork and would have to look away during any film scenes involving blades—a sensitivity his partner, Molly, still accommodates today.
Environments involving drugs or alcohol would trigger intense anxiety, convincing him that someone was about to die. For a long time, his strategy was silence. "My reaction to it all, was no, I can’t talk about it and that was probably the worst decision I ever made," he admitted, explaining how the suppressed trauma eventually erupted.
Finding Strength in Speaking Out
Now, after years of internal struggle, Tyler West has undergone a profound shift in perspective. He has come to see openness about his experiences not as a weakness, but as his greatest asset.
"I see all of these things, and I think about those moments and they push me to where I go today... They're actually my biggest strength. And my biggest strength comes about from talking about things," he told podcast host Brunson.
His candid revelation follows his recent comments about fellow Strictly professional Amy Dowden's cancer diagnosis, which he described as a "massive shock to the system," further highlighting the close bonds formed on the show and his empathetic nature shaped by his own difficult past.
