The Duke of Cambridge has revealed how becoming a dad brought up difficult emotions around the loss of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales and he opened up about how he and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, support each other through the pressures of parenthood.
WATCH: Prince William talks about mental health and parenthood
In a new documentary, former professional footballer Marvin Sordell tells Prince William about his mental health struggles and how he grew up without his father.
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Former professional footballer Marvin Sordell
The Duke said: "Having children is the biggest life changing moment, it really is… I think when you've been through something traumatic in life, and that is like you say, your Dad not being around, my mother dying when I was younger, the emotions come back, in leaps and bounds. It's a different phase of life and there is no one there to kind of help you. I definitely found it very, at times, overwhelming."
But he added: "Me and Catherine particularly, we support each other and we go through those moments together and we kind of evolve and learn together… But I do agree with you. I think that emotionally things come out of the blue that you don't ever expect or that maybe you think you've dealt with. So I can completely relate to what you're saying about children coming along, it's one of the most amazing moments of life but it's also one of the scariest."
He told Marvin: "Your dad would be very proud of you, he would." "As your mum would," replied the former England U21 player. "Thank you, I appreciate that," said William.
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William in the BBC One documentary
The BBC One film, Football, Prince William and our Mental Health, follows the future King as he meets footballers from all walks of life and all levels of the game to discuss mental health. Marvin has previously spoke about suffering from depression and the impact it has had on his life and career. He told the Duke that after becoming a father in 2017, "it was the hardest time in my life. You know I found it really tough…I grew up without my father…I really struggled with my emotions at that time."
The former sportsman also spoke about a suicide attempt in 2013, adding: "If I saw me in that situation now, you can tell a mile off there's a big problem, big, big problem but it's football though, literally we don't look at these things and tackle them and try and solve them, we just think we just wanna put that away, and just leave it."
Marvin retired from football last year aged 28 and now owns a successful media production company and has a wife and two children.
Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health airs on Thursday 28 May at 8.05pm on BBC One.
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