British mental health activist
John Junior
Junior in 2020
Birth name John Junior Also known as The Duckman Born (1988-10-04 ) October 4, 1988 (age 35)
Manchester , EnglandOccupation(s) Years active 2019–present
Musical artist
John Junior , also known as The Duckman , is a British mental health activist. They are known for featuring in the documentary series,
Hollyoaks: IRL .
[1]
[2]
[3] In November 2019, they created the mental health movement "John and Charlie's Journey" to raise awareness about
suicide and
mental illness .
[4]
[5]
Background
Junior was born with
short leg syndrome , has a
clubfoot and lives with
arthritis .
[6] They were homeless at the age of 16.
[7] Junior lost their dad in 2018.
[8]
When Junior was 8 years old they stated that they didn't feel right with their gender, which was assigned at birth (male). When they were 11 years old they wanted a
gender reassignment .
[9] They were then diagnosed with
Klinefelter syndrome and put on
hormone therapy .
[10]
[11] At 14 years old they begun questioning their
gender identity and sexuality.
[9] Junior has since began to identify as
non-binary .
In 2017, Junior was prescribed
sertraline , an
anti-depressant , to help with
depression and
anxiety. During the
coronavirus pandemic he came off the anti-depressants due to the 'unbearable' side effects he was experiencing. He replaced the anti-depressants with going to the gym.
[12] Junior lives with
obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). They stated that they have to eat food with a pair of metal tongs, saying, "I can't touch food otherwise I'll die and others around me will die".
[13] They stated that OCD gives them anxiety when they try to eat, and that makes them suicidal too.
[14]
Activism
In 2019, Junior started
vlogging about their experiences of
mental health issues on
Instagram .
[4] In May 2020, Junior tested the
Samaritans ' self-help app for
UNILAD during mental health awareness week.
[15] Junior subsequently talked to UNILAD about their mental health struggles to raise awareness for
World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September 2020.
[5]
In November 2019, Junior created a mental health movement called "John and Charlie's Journey".
[5] Junior and Charlie The Duck, a
stuffed toy teddy , encouraged people to talk about mental health.
[16]
[17]
In September 2020, the "DBT for all campaign" was created by Junior to try to make
dialectical behaviour therapy more widely available on the
NHS throughout the
United Kingdom . (This therapy is used to treat children, teenagers and adults who are suicidal,
self-harm and have
self-destructive behaviours .) The campaign was supported by
Esther McVey ,
Conservative MP for
Tatton , who applied for
parliamentary debate at
Westminster Hall .
[18]
[19]
In February 2020, Junior and
Tanya Bardsley , former members of
The Real Housewives of Cheshire , created the wellness hub.
[16]
Junior was invited to join
Keith Duffy ,
Boyzone and
Brian McFadden ,
Westlife onstage at their
Boyzlife concert in Manchester, to share Junior's mental health campaign.
[20]
[21]
Junior is campaigning for all police officers in the United Kingdom to be trained in
mental health first aid and to have specialist units for mental health.
[22]
Hollyoaks
At the start of the
first UK lockdown in March 2020 , Junior had suicide plans, and a
Hollyoaks storyline that involved suicide helped him stop.
[23]
BBC Radio 5 filmed Junior thanking the people who worked on the storyline and the show.
[24]
[25]
[26]
Royal Television Society North West Awards (November 2022).
Jenny Powell ,
Richard Blackwood , John Junior, Charlie The Duck, Alan Toner,
Adam Thomas and
Ross Adams (left to right)
Channel 4 commissioned
Limepictures to produce
Hollyoaks: IRL , a series of short films of real-life stories. Junior's episode "Hollyoaks saved my life" was the first episode to be released on 16 June 2021.
[27] Hollyoaks Saved My Life (Hollyoaks: IRL ) was nominated for the
BAFTA TV Award in the
Short Form Programme 2022 .
[28]
[29]
[30]
[31]
Junior was invited by
Channel 4 to attend the
British Academy Television Awards on 8 May 2022 at the
Royal Festival Hall in London.
[32] They were accompanied by Charlie the Duck,
Vera Chok (who plays
Honour Chen-Williams ) and
Kieron Richardson (who plays
Ste Hay ).
[33] On 26 November 2022, Junior attended the
Royal Television Society Awards (North West) and received the Best Digital Creativity award for the Hollyoaks: IRL series.
[34]
Gross Up
In February 2022, the British factual entertainment series Gross Up , which was produced by
True North Productions for
E4 , featured John Junior in episode 6. The series follows six cast members having their belongings sent away to a laboratory to be scientifically tested for viruses and bacteria. Gut bacteria were found on Junior's equipment by the
microbiologists .
[35]
[36]
[37]
Filmography
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2021
Hollyoaks IRL - Hollyoaks saved my life
Himself
Channel 4
2022
Munya Chawawa - Race around Britain
Journalist
Released on
Youtube TV
2022
The Real Death in Paradise
Alex
Discovery Channel
2022
Gross Up Ep 6
[38]
Himself
E4
2023
Time For A Check-In
[39]
Himself
Channel 4
Awards and nominations
Year
Award
Category
Result
2021
National Diversity Awards
Positive Role Model (Gender)
[40]
Nominated
2022
NDA awards
Positive role model
Nominated
2023
NDA awards
Positive role model
Nominated
References
^ Herman, Daisy (10 April 2022).
"BAFTA nomination for mental health series inspired by Cheshire Hollyoaks fan" . CheshireLive . Retrieved 21 June 2022 .
^
"Hollyoaks suicide storyline 'saved my life' " . BBC News . Retrieved 24 April 2021 .
^
"Channel 4 Commissions Hollyoaks: IRL A Short-Form Series Of Real-Life Documentaries | Channel 4" . www.channel4.com . Retrieved 14 April 2022 .
^
a
b Maidment, Adam (5 June 2020).
"How John and Charlie are turning mental health trauma into personal success" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 2 October 2020 .
^
a
b
c
"Male Suicide In England And Wales Is At Its Worst In 20 Years, We Need To Talk About It" . www.unilad.co.uk . Retrieved 2 October 2020 .
^
"Disabled passengers on Avanti trains say they have had to sit in toilets to get seat" . The Guardian . 17 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022 .
^ Nowell, Andrew.
"How an actor, film-maker and mental health activist is helping homeless people in Manchester this Christmas" .
^
"Mental health activist speaks out on taking care of yourself over festive period" . Northwich Guardian . Retrieved 12 January 2023 .
^
a
b Kelleher, Patrick (16 September 2023).
"Trans people share age they knew their gender identity after Liz Truss remarks" . PinkNews . Retrieved 19 September 2023 .
^ Williams, Olivia (2 February 2021).
"Cheshire soap fan saved from lockdown suicidal thoughts by Hollyoaks" . CheshireLive . Retrieved 5 April 2023 .
^ Gladwell, Hattie (14 January 2021).
"Small testicles and a low sex drive: What it's like to be born with XXY syndrome" . Metro . Retrieved 5 April 2023 .
^
"Antidepressants exit must happen in stages, says medical watchdog" . BBC News . 17 January 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024 .
^ Oldfield, Paige (16 September 2023).
" 'OCD habit means I get stared at and laughed whenever I eat out - it's horrible' " . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 16 September 2023 .
^ Oldfield, Paige; Shaw, Neil (16 September 2023).
" 'People stare and laugh wherever I go because of how I have to eat' " . Wales Online . Retrieved 3 January 2024 .
^
"Samaritans Self-Help App Prevented This Person From Self-Harming" . www.unilad.co.uk . Retrieved 2 October 2020 .
^
a
b Fitzpatrick, Katie (22 February 2020).
"Real Housewives star is launching a wellness hub after battling anxiety" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 2 October 2020 .
^
" 'Its Okay Not To Be Okay' | VIVA UK Lifestyle Magazine" . UK Lifestyle Magazine | VIVA Manchester . 4 March 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020 .
^
"MP supports mental health activist's bid for parliamentary debate" . Knutsford Guardian . Retrieved 2 October 2020 .
^
"MP to apply for parliamentary debate to support Wilmslow mental health campaigner - wilmslow.co.uk" . www.wilmslow.co.uk . Retrieved 2 October 2020 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Katie (22 February 2020).
"Real Housewives star is launching a wellness hub after battling anxiety" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 25 March 2023 .
^
" 'Its Okay Not To Be Okay' | VIVA UK Lifestyle Magazine" . UK Lifestyle Magazine | VIVA Manchester . 4 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2023 .
^ Banim, Julia (8 September 2023).
" 'Hollyoaks saved my life and I've saved 1,300 others - with no thanks to police' " . The Mirror . Retrieved 13 October 2023 .
^
"Hollyoaks suicide storyline 'saved my life' " . BBC News . Retrieved 17 February 2021 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Katie (1 February 2021).
"Lockdown drove me to the brink - but a Hollyoaks storyline saved my life" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 17 February 2021 .
^
"Hollyoaks suicide storyline 'saved my life' " . BBC Radio 5 - In the short .
^ West, Amy (20 January 2021).
"Hollyoaks saved life of radio contributor with Kyle Kelly's tragic storyline" . Digital Spy . Retrieved 2 April 2021 .
^
"Channel 4 Commissions Hollyoaks: IRL A Short-Form Series Of Real-Life Documentaries | Channel 4" . www.channel4.com . Retrieved 4 July 2021 .
^
"Bafta TV Awards 2022: The nominations" . BBC News . 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022 .
^ TV, Guardian (30 March 2022).
"Bafta TV awards 2022: full list of nominations" . The Guardian . Retrieved 30 March 2022 .
^ Herman, Daisy (10 April 2022).
"BAFTA nomination for mental health series inspired by Cheshire Hollyoaks fan" . CheshireLive . Retrieved 11 April 2022 .
^
The British Academy Television Awards - 2022: 1. Awards Ceremony - Extended , retrieved 18 July 2022
^
" 'My story helped so many' - Mental health activist looks back on 'incredible' two years" . Knutsford Guardian . Retrieved 13 June 2022 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Katie (9 May 2022).
"Soap fan saved from suicide by Hollyoaks walks BAFTA red carpet with their idols" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 18 July 2022 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Katie (27 November 2022).
"Corrie star Sally Carman's one word reaction after winning big at TV awards" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 28 November 2022 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Katie; Clay, Milo (6 February 2022).
"Cheshire reality TV star's 'disgusting' gaming habit could have been deadly" . Cheshire Live . Retrieved 24 February 2024 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Katie (5 February 2022).
"Reality TV star on the 'disgusting' gaming habit that could have killed them" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 24 February 2024 .
^
"Gross Up - True North" . www.truenorth.tv . Retrieved 24 February 2024 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Katie (5 February 2022).
"Reality TV star on the 'disgusting' gaming habit that could have killed them" . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 23 February 2024 .
^ Fitzpatrick, Katie (15 March 2023).
" 'I wet the bed and had intrusive thoughts about bathing in Prime' " . Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 15 October 2023 .
^
"Wilmslow Suicide survivor nominated for National Diversity Award" . Knutsford Guardian . Retrieved 24 April 2021 .
External links
John Junior is an Ambassador for SOS silence to suicide