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A man is raising awareness of male mental health after battling for years when he lost his child.

David Lee, 35, lost his child in 2014 and since has endured a long struggle with managing his grief.

He suffered with major depression and discovered that there was a lack of support for men going through mental illness.

He told Cheshire Live: “After the loss, I just felt cheated out of becoming a father.”

The 35-year-old is now transforming his struggles into a new Chester-produced audio drama to raise awareness of the issue.

David spoke of the stigma and judgement he felt when he finally did feel ready to talk about what he was going through.

After reaching out to a colleague for support he was told he was not entitled to his grief because he had a family to take care of.

He said: "I had struggled with this for many years so this response was just harrowing."

Around one in eight men have a common mental health problem in England, with significantly less men seeking support.

A spokesperson from the mental health foundation said: "Many of the same difficulties are experienced by both men and women but some difficulties and influences on mental health are especially relevant for men.

"They are generally more reluctant to seek support or talk to a loved one."

Their research suggests that pressure to conform to traditional gender roles or societal expectations could negatively impact men's mental health.

Men made up 75% of all recorded suicides in the UK in 2017 and after losing his child, David reached an all time low.

He added: “It hurt me immensely to the point where I wondered if life was worth living.”

Now, the writer is sharing his story to help promote the cause in the hope of decreasing the heartbreaking statistics of men who feel they can not cope.

David remarked: "I now realise that no one can take my story away and I want all men to be able to speak up."

His ‘controversial’ drama is based on David’s own personal experiences and explores all aspects of male mental health.

He said: “It does delve into issues surrounding what some may consider a very controversial subject matter."

The autobiographical play follows the life of a man who telephoned a radio station because he was alone and depressed and was met with a reaction that showed people were not ready to talk about.

He told CheshireLive: “The story is arc is mine word for word, and personally it has almost cost me my life.

“I wanted to write this to allow men to feel they can speak out more and should not be discouraged to do so if people don’t understand.”

The audio drama, 'Fifty Shades of Dave', was both written and produced in Chester and has been nominated in the UK International Radio Drama, 2020.

The second series will be released this September.

If you have been affected by mental health, contact the Good Samaritans or visit the website to find out about mental health services in Cheshire.