Radio host Iain Lee has been credited with saving a man's life after keeping him on the phone for half an hour while emergency services tracked him down, after the man rang his show and said he had taken an overdose.
The man, whose name was only given as Chris, called into Lee's talkRadio show on Wednesday and said he had taken an overdose after suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lee asked the man a series of questions to try to figure out his whereabouts, and Lee's producer passed the information on to the emergency services who raced to help him.
Tonight we took a call from a man who had taken an overdose. He was lying in a street in Plymouth, dying. We managed to keep him online, get a description of what he looked like and was wearing, work out where he was and send an ambulance and police to him. Kept him on the phone
— Iain Lee - talkRADIO (@iainlee) December 20, 2018
The caller told Lee he was in a street near a nightclub in Plymouth and told him: "I do want to die, Iain."
Lee, who has been open about his own mental health struggles, replied: "Shut up, man, I know you want to die, brother, but I love you. I love you. You may want to die, but we can talk about that tomorrow."
While the emergency services tried to find Chris, who said he was nearly 60, Lee stayed on the line with him and offered him words of reassurance.
"Chris, I love you brother, you deserve better than this. You deserve better than this, and whatever has happened, I promise you it can be sorted. I guarantee that whatever has happened, it can be sorted out", he said.
"It might not be easy, but it can be sorted, I promise you. It is better than you doing this."
After nearly 30 minutes, a police officer came on the line and told Lee they had found the man. The DJ broke down in tears at the news.
Well done. I hope Chris gets all the help he needs, I hope you get to meet him and I hope that you and your colleagues have got someone to talk to about this too.
— Police Community (@PolComForum) December 20, 2018
After the incident, Lee tweeted: "Tonight we took a call from a man who had taken an overdose. He was lying in a street in Plymouth, dying.
"We managed to keep him online, get a description of what he looked like and was wearing, work out where he was, and send an ambulance and police to him. Kept him on the phone for 30 minutes while he got harder to understand.
"Long periods of silence where I thought he'd died. F***, that was intense and upsetting. Thanks for your kind words. I really hope he makes it."
He later added: "Thanks everyone for your kind words. Been an odd day for so many reasons. I really appreciate your kind words."
Lee, who starred in I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! in 2017, revealed last month that coming off anti-depressants had left him feeling suicidal.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can contact Pieta House 24/7 Helpline 1800 247 247 or the Samaritans Helpline 116 123.
