UFC star Paddy "the Baddy" Pimblett has revealed he contemplated taking his own life and urged men to speak out after losing a close friend to suicide. The 31-year-old from Huyton joined Liverpool FC's mental health campaign, sharing his deeply personal experience while reflecting on why speaking openly about mental health matters.
Describing how as a fighter he was supposed to be the "hardest one in the room", Paddy said: "I thought about suicide a couple of times, how I'd do it. To man up, bottle it up and not say anything is just sewn into our being."
He added: "There are a lot of lads I know over the past 10 years who've taken their own lives and it's crazy when you think about it, because Scousers are the most happy-go-lucky people in the world. Every 90 minutes someone takes their own life, that's just absolutely shocking."
Friend's death at Huyton station
Speaking about the death of his friend Rikki Warnock, Paddy said another friend rang him at 4am to break the devastating news. Asked if he had any idea what Rikki was going through, Paddy said: "No. He was one of those lads who was the life and soul of the party and I think the ones who want to put a smile on everyone else's faces don't want to go and speak to someone about their burden."
Rikki was found dead at Huyton station in July 2022. Paddy set up the Baddy Foundation soon after, with one of the charity's key aims challenging stigma around men's mental health.
Kicking Off Conversations hub at Anfield
The Reds launched a Kicking Off Conversations hub at Anfield, run by the club's official charity LFC Foundation, on Saturday. The hub, said to be the first of its kind in the Premier League, provides a "safe, welcoming and confidential space" at home fixtures.
Paddy added: "My whole family supports Liverpool. Hearing that they are taking suicide prevention so seriously and they've got the hub now on a match day, I think it's a great idea because when you come to the match it's like a safe place."
Former Liverpool goalkeeper and foundation ambassador Chris Kirkland also spoke about mental health as part of the campaign. He said: "I've been there, where I've thought there is no way out, and I was lost, I was scared. My biggest regret is I never spoke up sooner, you have got to tell your partner, tell your family, tell your friends."
Encouraging others to seek help
By sharing their experiences this World Mental Health Day, Paddy and the group hope to encourage others to seek help, support a loved one or start a potentially life-saving conversation.
Paul Newell, a participant in the LFC Foundation, said: "This is where a lot of people go wrong, they are not opening up to each other - if I would have carried on bottling it up, I think I would have took my own life by now."
LFC Foundation co-ordinator Mark Henderson said: "I think we need to start talking to ourselves, as if we would with our best mate. This club saved my life, it gave me a reason to keep going. We always talk about you'll never walk alone, and being a part of this club, this family, but it's time we practice what we preach."
