One of the stars appearing in this year’s edition of I’m A Celebrity has faced a challenging past, enduring periods of homelessness and ‘dark days’.
Dean McCullough, now a well-known voice on BBC Radio 1, is gearing himself up for the jungle adventure with celebrities like Coleen Rooney and Oti Mabuse.
From his current successful stint on the airwaves to regular panellist spots on Big Brother: Late and Live, Deans journey hasn’t been without its struggles. It was only earlier this year that Dean opened his heart about his past difficulties with ‘hidden homelessness’.
This term refers to those in temporary shelters or having to sofa surf. Speaking to The Big Issue, Dean made the honest admission that he hadn’t always acknowledged his own homeless status, given he wasn’t out on the streets.
Despite not sleeping rough, Dean understands the severe impact that such uncertainty can have on the mental health of youths experiencing similar hardship. Recounting his experience, he disclosed, “We weren’t living on the street, we were living on my aunt’s house on a sofa. I was moving between houses on a regular basis.”
Dean opened up about his turbulent past, sharing that he and his family were without a stable home for a year following his parents’ separation. He also endured years of couch surfing when he first arrived in London to chase his dream in musical theatre, reports OK!.
Reflecting on the psychological impacts of this experience, he said: “I have problems with my possessions and feeling like I need to take care of absolutely everything around me. That comes down to moving from house to house and not ever feeling like anything was ever truly mine.”
He recounted how any hint of trouble would prompt him to leave wherever he was staying: “As soon as I sensed any kind of danger, I’d be straight out of [where I was staying]…for a long time I had no fixed address. I would go out on the Thursday and just stay out all weekend because I just didn’t want to go home.”
Dean’s transparency with his supporters extends beyond his experiences of homelessness to include his struggles with alcohol.
In conversation with Scott Thomas on the ‘Learning As I Go’ podcast, Dean disclosed: “Alcoholism runs in my family and I’ve got a lot of friends that have been alcohol dependent so I just thought it was my turn.”
Delving further into his battle with alcohol, he said: “I looked at my bins in my apartment and it was like, three bottles of red, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of prosecco, I was like ‘who drank that? ‘ Oh it was me.”
Although he is now sober, Dean acknowledged that some of his most difficult moments came during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was a period that highlighted his drinking problem while he was presenting the breakfast show on Gaydio.
Speaking to iNews, he revealed: “It was the pandemic, and I just got myself into a bad way and I was sort of thinking some really, really dark thoughts to myself. Anybody who’s kind of struggled with mental health will know what it’s like.”
“I just saw the path in front of me and it wasn’t nice. It was really dark and it was very destructive and I thought, if I want to get to Radio 1, which was always my dream, if I want to do that, I need to make some changes.”
I’m A Celebrity returns Sunday at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.