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They say laughter is the best medicine\u2026 but comedian Jason Manford says many performers struggle in secret with their emotions, with conditions like ADHD affecting a \u201chigh percentage\u201d compared with the general public at large. \u201cThere\u2019s certainly a lot of mental health issues within the entertainment industry,\u201d admits the Mancunian star, 42, who has spoken bravely about his own anxiety and depression in the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re living in a world where every feeling is heightened\u2026 every mistake and every good moment. So where do you get the chance to come down? Your adrenaline\u2019s gotta go somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manford is speaking two days after it was revealed Friends star Matthew Perry, wise-cracking Chandler Bing in the iconic US comedy, had drowned aged 54 in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home. Perry, who had a long history of addiction, once admitted: \u201cIf I didn\u2019t get the laugh I was supposed to get I would freak out.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a sentiment Manford, who religiously watched the show every Friday night in its hey-day, and now enjoys repeats with his own children, understands.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew had all the best one-liners and the funny reactions\u2026 as a young comic growing up and watching the show, you dream of being given a role in a show like that, and he absolutely smashed it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had pathos, he had everything. You\u2019re not in a worldwide, well-loved sitcom for that long if you\u2019re not one of the most talented actors around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manford believes fans should feel able to \u201cgrieve as if you have lost a friend\u201d when a star loses their life, especially in untimely or in tragic circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a point in time where someone on TV, in film or music, were very separate from the real world, but now people feel much closer [to them] than they once were,\u201d he explains.\u201cSome people feel a bit silly about being upset when a person they haven\u2019t met on the other side of the world has passed away \u2013 but people mean different things to us and when they\u2019re a joy bringer like Matthew, it\u2019s doubly hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for his own life, the father-of-six relies on his friends and family to \u201ckeep a sense of self\u201d during tough moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving kids is always so helpful because they don\u2019t care who you are,\u201d he laughs. \u201cI\u2019ve been very lucky that I get to do nice things \u2013 and I always remember that it\u2019s a privilege to be able to get up on stage and make people laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Alex Scott showcases ripped abs on Halloween as she parties with Jess Glynne<\/strong><\/p>\n Which is something the Salford-born comedian has been doing since 1999 when, as a 17-year-old glass collector at a Chorlton comedy club, he stepped onto the stage after a billed name didn\u2019t turn up. Since then he\u2019s become one of Britain\u2019s best-loved comedians and was a regular on prime-time panel shows 8 Out of 10 Cats and QI. More recently, the multi-talented Manford has segued into acting and singing, appearing in West End musicals Sweeney Todd, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls, and The Wizard of Oz.<\/p>\n Right now he\u2019s busier than ever and, for the second year running, will be hosting The National Lottery\u2019s Big Bash with singer and TV presenter Alesha Dixon at London\u2019s OVO Wembley Arena on December 6.<\/p>\n The free \u201chouse party\u201d extravaganza will feature show-stopping performances from headliners Take That, Busted, Paloma Faith and Jax Jones, with more acts still to be announced. The event also highlights extraordinary people who have changed lives in their communities thanks to National Lottery players who generate more than \u00a330million a week for UK charities and projects.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really heartwarming end-of-the-year show,\u201d says Manford. \u201cLast time we reunited Ukrainian girl Amelia Anisovych, eight, and her mum Lilia, on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n Amelia broke hearts around the world in the early days of the conflict when she sang Let it Go from the Disney musical Frozen inside a Ukrainian bomb shelter. She eventually escaped to safety in Poland and repeated her sweet rendition for last year\u2019s 8,000-strong Big Bash audience.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/79\/590x\/secondary\/5044173.jpg?r=1698852510464\")
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