Mr Anderson says he turned to the booze to "escape reality" during a distinguished career in the British Army, which saw him serve as a rifleman for the Royal Green Jackets in The Troubles in Northern Ireland, as well as in Bosnia and Kosovo.

But he said his efforts to block out pain led to him living in a "virtual coma" where he was incapable of feeling emotions. He said he eventually decided to end his life but stopped because he did not want his children to grow up without a father.

The newly-elected Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West made the revelations during his maiden speech in the House of Commons.

WATCH Stuart Anderson's maiden speech here:

MP Stuart Anderson reveals mental health trauma after leaving Army

The 43-year-old told MPs how his father, who was in the SAS, had died when he was aged eight. He explained how he joined the Army as a 16-year-old only to seemingly have his military career ended early when he was shot in a training accident by a friend.

He said he spent almost a year in rehabilitation, learning to walk, run, and eventually against all odds, returned to full active service in the Army.

Stuart Anderson on patrol in Kosovo

Advertising

"For the whole year of rehabilitation nobody asked me how I was doing, or what the impact was," Mr Anderson said. "In fact as soon as I was fit they sent me to Northern Ireland on my first operational tour, in The Troubles.

More from the Commons:

"While I was proving to be a very effective soldier, those who knew me most, knew I was suffering emotionally.

Advertising

"We never spoke about it, we never showed emotion, it was a sign of weakness. We most certainly could never ask for help.

"Although wrong, I found that alcohol blocked the pain in my head, and it allowed me to escape reality."

'On the inside I was broken'

Mr Anderson told the Commons how he became a bodyguard on leaving the military, a job he excelled at.

"On the outside I looked like I had it together, but on the inside I was broken," he said.

"The decision I made to shut out my pain when I got shot meant I struggled to feel anything emotionally.

"I was numb. The more I progressed the more the pain hurt. I was going through life in a virtual coma. I would spend evenings in my garage on my own, drinking, looking at a brick wall, wishing my life would end.

Mr Anderson celebrating his election win in Wolverhampton

"I remember the first thought in the morning when I opened my eyes was one of dread that I hadn't died in my sleep.

"Desmond Tutu once described hope as the ability to see light in the darkness. I got to a place where I had no hope. Enough was enough, and I finally decided to end my life.

"As I was in the process of doing it, I had one thought that stopped me. I didn't want my children to grow up without a father like I had.

"I couldn't do it. I actually felt a failure not being able to take my own life. There was no escape from the life I was in. I was stuck.

"In my mind, my life was over. I had been dealt a bad hand, and that was my life."

Mr Anderson said that in a moment of desperation he took his children to church, which led to him finding faith and learning to "face reality".

"As the Wolverhampton motto says, out of darkness cometh light. I could see light out of the darkness," he said.