JJ Chalmers counts Prince Harry as a close friend (Image: Getty)
JJ Chalmers has revealed he turns to his good friend Prince Harry when he is facing a battle with his mental health as he “gets it.”
The television presenter, 37, who is campaigning to get the long-term sick back to work in a link-up with the insurance giant Zurich UK, understands only too well the challenges they have to endure.
Burn out, stress and the pressure of trying to keep wearing his trademark smile were among the pressures he faced last year.
It led the star to rely on the prince’s support after becoming pals with him in Afghanistan where he was a Royal Marine commando along with other military friends.
JJ said: “That’s the wonderful thing about it I have a friendship with him (Prince Harry) and with Johnny (Mercer) for that matter that are friendships first and foremost because when I met Harry he was a captain in the Army.
“Having lived those experiences, sometimes especially when you are having to discuss those experiences like it needs to be with someone who gets it and somebody who knows what that feels like that you don’t have to explain that stuff to.
“That is hugely helpful. We have already discussed the year I’ve had from my mental health – of course he is aware of that.
“Of course he has been supportive of it – and it’s because I know I can talk to him about things he is one of the people in the world that I don’t need to put the smile on for because why would I?”
He added: “There’s the answer the world gets and there’s the answer that your friends get and that’s the difference unfortunately even some of my closest friends that didn’t serve in Afghan weren’t there necessarily throughout my recovery might not be able to get it in the same way.
“Whilst I am not necessarily affected by what happened to me in Afghanistan it’s all directly related to the fact that I got injured and my life took a certain turn.
Invictus Gold medallist JJ Chalmers speaks to Zurich Insurance
“I will never get away from that for good and for bad.”
He suffered life-changing injuries following an IED blast in Nahr-e Saraj in May 2011, which killed two of his comrades, before being transferred to Camp Bastion, where he was placed in an induced coma, and was then flown back to Britain.
JJ, who grew up in Scotland, narrowly avoided a double arm amputation, he lost two fingers and was left with a badly damaged elbow, along with face and leg injuries and a broken neck leading medics to have to rebuild the structure of his body while he was in the coma.
He said he was able to take such risks during his time with the Royal Marines as he knew they would act as his support network if anything went wrong.
JJ underwent some 30 operations over four years following his injuries.
Prince Harry and JJ Chalmers both served in Afghanistan (Image: Getty)
“One of the reasons why we have that confidence in the first place to be able to do a dangerous job and to be able to put ourselves at risk is not just our individual confidence but the confidence within the organisation with people around us to look after us in those awful moments,” he said.
“If someone ends up in fulfilled employment then actually the mental health struggles can be averted – it’s statistically massive so yeah when someone finds themselves in a circumstance like I did there are completely different things and that’s the thing.
“These things happen in warzones but this level of injury happens in car crashes every day and it happens when people walk across the road. It can happen for no reason at all – the body just decides one day that you have got cancer now and all of a sudden your life is turned completely upside down and so you then have to depend on those networks around you.”
JJ added: “I believe employers have a part to play in that – not just because it is the right thing to do because I would like to think my organisation looked after me because they valued me and they cared for me and they did and also it’s the smart thing to do.
“Yes, I was eventually medically discharged from the service and went on to have a new career but it was in their interests one for me to succeed in that and two if I could have been brought back to service and fixed and put back into their organisation they would have wanted that.
“So the biggest thing that I would encourage people to do is to try and make the right decisions for themselves first of all medically speaking and the way to be able to do that best is to have time.
“Income protection is one of the reasons that I had time as I was retained in service, I was paid to be a Royal Marine even though the Royal Marines weren’t getting me to do my job.”
JJ believes resilience and rehabilitation are key in overcoming workplace absences as a result of long-term sick employees and wants to see the Government embrace a military-style “never leave anyone behind” approach to tackle the issue.
“So it’s that never leave a man behind mentality, which not all employers will have,” he said.
“Certainly not all people who are employed will necessarily feel but as you do know actually within the armed forces that we seem to have that in our culture and our values.
“So there are a couple of things where there are employers who use the services and use the services of things like Zurich and so what are the best examples within that and one of the things that you immediately take away is that wrap around care.”
He added: “It’s how many different things it takes to create that success, it is not just this thing will fix everybody we just need better medical care at the point of injury or better cancer services or whatever it might be.
“There are organisations that have had physical changes like the BBC which is one of the oldest institutions in the land actually being very progressive in the manner it approaches something like disability and long-term sick.
“So yeah those are the types of organisations that actually value their people and realise they want this brilliance in their organisation what can I do to ensure that their life is a reasonable adjustment made and ultimately we can look after them, which makes them better.”
JJ said he was devastated when he discovered his former Strictly Come Dancing dance partner Amy Dowden, 33, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer last May.
He starred on the hit BBC One show during Series 18 and finished in sixth place.
JJ said: “She went from everything is normal to like her entire world falling from under her feet.
“I know that feeling but Amy because of the struggles that she has had throughout her life.
“Living with Crohn’s disease, it means that I still remember when she first told me that she had cancer and I was heartbroken and I was scared and I was sad.
“I also thought cancer has messed with the wrong person here because even just practically speaking no stranger to a hospital.
“She knows what it’s like to get prodded and all of that stuff but she also knows what it takes to dig deep and get through the hell of it and that’s the thing.
“She has been very public about this. Cancer is never easy for anyone, this one has continued to beat her and beat her sometimes.”
He added: “She nearly made it back to dance on Strictly and she bloody broke her leg.
“It’s just like oh come on give her a break.
“It feels as if her break is coming, which is nice. Back to the campaign it’s a perfect example of someone who is ultimately Strictly is worse off for her not being there.”
He said he sympathised with both the King and the Princess of Wales after they were both diagnosed with cancer.
“First and foremost as I’ve said give them the time that they require that’s all any human being should be entitled to. I think collectively that we have probably got that a wee bit wrong in the last few weeks.
“They need their time and they need their personal space but again I have kind of mentioned it with Amy, the silver lining of this which is already beginning to show is just how much of an impact of that institution and the Royal Family can continue to have within society.
JJ Chalmers was devastated when his former Strictly partner, Amy Dowden, was diagnosed with cancer (Image: Getty)
“Once the King was diagnosed the Googling of prostate cancer went through the roof – that’s nothing but a good thing. I’m desperately sorry that they have to live with those circumstances.”
The Money For Nothing presenter added: “I wouldn’t wish my circumstances or disability on anybody but I like to think I’ve managed to take something absolutely awful and find every ounce of goodness that could be found and I have no doubt they will do the same.”
He said he was now gearing up to mark the Invictus Games 10th Anniversary at a service at St Paul’s Cathedral as a trustee on the board and a gold medal winner in non-amputee cycling for Britain in September 2014.
JJ was captaining the trike team and he was awarded a medal for the Men’s IRecB1 Recumbent Circuit Race, as part of the UK’s trio who crossed the finishing line together.
Birmingham is bidding to host the Invictus Games in 2027, which aims to inspire veterans to recover through sports, esports and adventurous challenge.
“I’m extremely fortunate that it’s been 10 years since the first games and that’s why we are having the service in May and we are having a number of commemorations about how brilliant the last 10 years have been,” he said.
“How far we have come and also importantly the next 10 years are going to look like and I’m very fortunate in the 2014 Games and what Invictus did for me and is meant to do for the people who compete in it. It changes your life.
“It changed my life in a public manner in a profession of being a TV presenter but actually there are people who are doing things that are just as remarkable as what I did and they are doing it in businesses and charities and not even that they are doing it as being a better father and mother and you name it – those people should be celebrated just as much as I am. The Games should be celebrated for the way they changed lives in the way that is required.”
He added: “If it comes back to Birmingham, I will utterly be there as Birmingham holds a special place in my heart. So ultimately the city that saved my life when I returned from Afghanistan – I had an amazing summer there two years ago for the Commonwealth Games – and it was just great to be back.
I came through Invictus in 2014, my God it changed my life and that happened because of Prince Harry.
“I very quickly realised how fortunate I was to have the platform that he created for us and I was going to have to use and respect that platform for the betterment of our community and the betterment of our world because of service – that’s what we joined the military to do and that’s what Invictus gave us back.”