James Middleton reveals that his sister Catherine attended therapy with him during mental health struggles

James Middleton

Recently, James Middleton has opened up about his struggles with depression and how his entire family helped him through.

  • James Middleton revealed that his sister Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attended therapy sessions alongside him to show her support.
  • He added that he felt ‘completely lost’ before he started his therapy sessions.
  • This follows royal news that Prince Edward surprises fans with his cake cutting skills during royal visit.

Speaking to The Telegraph, James admitted that he’d kept his battle with depression to himself for a long time, before realising that he needed professional help.

When the doctor had asked him about suicidal thoughts, James said, "I remember thinking, 'I might have to answer this one truthfully, because I want them to help me."

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He added, “So I said, 'Well, actually, yes, but I don’t think I’ll ever action it.' In my report it said I had suicidal thoughts but wasn’t a threat to myself."

James also said that he didn't have to go through the process alone, as he revealed that his entire family, including the Duchess of Cambridge, attended family therapy sessions with him.

Duchess of Cambridge

When asked if his entire family came with him, he appeared to confirm that Catherine had also attended, saying, “All of them, not necessarily at the same time, but either individually and [sometimes] together.

"And that was so important because that helped them understand me and how my mind was working.”

Explaining how his family helped, he added, “And I think the way the therapy helped me was that I didn’t need my family to say, 'What can we do?' The only thing they could do was just come to some of the therapy sessions to start to understand."

James Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge

Explaining he felt‘completely lost’ before beginning his recovery, James Middleton shared that his journey included a year of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

He described therapy like, "sitting in a chair with a ball of wool made up of eight different colors, and then a therapist is sitting opposite you with a needle untangling it.

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"When we started mapping everything out, and it was on a page, it was absolute chaos," he continued.

Mental health is an important topic for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with them having championed the cause for years now.

Recently, the royal foursome worked with government initiative Every Mind Matters - an NHS resource providing advice for people struggling with stress, depression, or insomnia.

Lucy Buglass is a Digital Writer specialising in TV, film and lifestyle content and has written for What's On TV, GoodtoKnow and Whattowatch.com. She's passionate about entertainment and spends most of her free time watching Netflix series, BBC dramas, or going to the cinema to catch the latest film releases. In her spare time, she writes film and television reviews for JumpCut Online and her own blog, Lucy Goes To Hollywood.