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Article from Nov 2011.
HEROL ‘BOMBER’ GRAHAM’S descent into the deepest of depressions led him to make a grisly attempt to commit suicide.
Graham reveals what caused him to reach such depths of despair in his recently-published autobiography Bomber — Behind The Laughter.
Acclaimed as one of the most skilful champions produced in these islands Graham, now 52, ended up virtually penniless and alone in a sparsely furnished ex-council house.
He vividly describes the anguish he went through as he fought — and lost — against the demons that almost ended his life in the last few years.
Graham writes: “In the evening when I sat alone I often started crying and too often reached for the brandy bottle.
“Every night I sat in the dark on my own and stared at the TV that didn’t work. I just sat and stared and cried. I didn’t turn up for work, spending days in bed. All my self-belief had gone. I was financially on my knees.”
Tortured by the knowledge he couldn’t provide for himself, let alone his six children, Graham’s mental condition deteriorated.
He went on: “I was being tormented and I was tormenting myself. I just wanted out. So I sharpened a knife and went to the bedroom with a bottle of brandy.
“I made a couple of phone calls and said a few prayers before beginning to slash my wrists. As I did it I screamed and lay down thinking I’d die in my sleep.
“But in the morning I woke up on my sheets hardened by dried blood and realised I’d somehow failed in my attempt to end the misery I was going through.”
Graham took himself off to hospital where they patched him up and sent him home.
It was Karen, a former girlfriend now back in his life, who saved him from an early grave.
One evening as he was talking to her on the phone he became hysterical and admitted he was still on his knees and couldn’t see anyway out of the darkness.
Karen, fearing he might harm himself again, called the police. Two officers turned up on his doorstep and took him away. That’s when Graham was sectioned.
Only then did he receive the psychiatric and counselling treatment he so desperately needed.
When Graham held the British, European and Commonwealth light-middle and middleweight titles in the 1980s he had all the trappings of a celebrity fighter — the big house, luxury car and designer clothes.
Graham was always a laid-back character in keeping with his West Indian roots. He gave the impression he hadn’t a care in the world.
But he was haunted by a dreadful secret — he had been ****d by a *****phile when he was eight years old.
When at 38, his boxing career finally ended after three failed world championship attempts, he began to spiral out of control.
As a result of an unsuccessful venture into the ***ellery business, his wealth evaporated and also large sums of money some of his so-called friends borrowed off him were never paid back.
Several broken relationships didn’t help, but he believes what really caused his downfall was his inability to cope with retirement from the ring.
To us normal mortals it is incomprehensible that you can become unhinged because you miss being hit on the head.
But Frank Bruno and Ricky Hatton can certainly sympathise with him. They also had suicidal tendencies when they realised they would never again lace on a pair of gloves.
Thankfully, Graham is now getting himself together. Having moved from Sheffield to London, he is Karen’s house-husband and has also started to get work as a personal trainer.
But his harrowing story makes me wonder how many other ex-champs are sitting lonely in a darkened room suffering the pangs of withdrawal symptoms and frantic for help
HEROL ‘BOMBER’ GRAHAM’S descent into the deepest of depressions led him to make a grisly attempt to commit suicide.
Graham reveals what caused him to reach such depths of despair in his recently-published autobiography Bomber — Behind The Laughter.
Acclaimed as one of the most skilful champions produced in these islands Graham, now 52, ended up virtually penniless and alone in a sparsely furnished ex-council house.
He vividly describes the anguish he went through as he fought — and lost — against the demons that almost ended his life in the last few years.
Graham writes: “In the evening when I sat alone I often started crying and too often reached for the brandy bottle.
“Every night I sat in the dark on my own and stared at the TV that didn’t work. I just sat and stared and cried. I didn’t turn up for work, spending days in bed. All my self-belief had gone. I was financially on my knees.”
Tortured by the knowledge he couldn’t provide for himself, let alone his six children, Graham’s mental condition deteriorated.
He went on: “I was being tormented and I was tormenting myself. I just wanted out. So I sharpened a knife and went to the bedroom with a bottle of brandy.
“I made a couple of phone calls and said a few prayers before beginning to slash my wrists. As I did it I screamed and lay down thinking I’d die in my sleep.
“But in the morning I woke up on my sheets hardened by dried blood and realised I’d somehow failed in my attempt to end the misery I was going through.”
Graham took himself off to hospital where they patched him up and sent him home.
It was Karen, a former girlfriend now back in his life, who saved him from an early grave.
One evening as he was talking to her on the phone he became hysterical and admitted he was still on his knees and couldn’t see anyway out of the darkness.
Karen, fearing he might harm himself again, called the police. Two officers turned up on his doorstep and took him away. That’s when Graham was sectioned.
Only then did he receive the psychiatric and counselling treatment he so desperately needed.
When Graham held the British, European and Commonwealth light-middle and middleweight titles in the 1980s he had all the trappings of a celebrity fighter — the big house, luxury car and designer clothes.
Graham was always a laid-back character in keeping with his West Indian roots. He gave the impression he hadn’t a care in the world.
But he was haunted by a dreadful secret — he had been ****d by a *****phile when he was eight years old.
When at 38, his boxing career finally ended after three failed world championship attempts, he began to spiral out of control.
As a result of an unsuccessful venture into the ***ellery business, his wealth evaporated and also large sums of money some of his so-called friends borrowed off him were never paid back.
Several broken relationships didn’t help, but he believes what really caused his downfall was his inability to cope with retirement from the ring.
To us normal mortals it is incomprehensible that you can become unhinged because you miss being hit on the head.
But Frank Bruno and Ricky Hatton can certainly sympathise with him. They also had suicidal tendencies when they realised they would never again lace on a pair of gloves.
Thankfully, Graham is now getting himself together. Having moved from Sheffield to London, he is Karen’s house-husband and has also started to get work as a personal trainer.
But his harrowing story makes me wonder how many other ex-champs are sitting lonely in a darkened room suffering the pangs of withdrawal symptoms and frantic for help
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