Mark Wright reveals secret battle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Former TOWIE star Mark is sharing his story in a bid to help others who suffer from the condition
Mark Wright has revealed he's been battling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) his whole life.
Mark took to the This Morning sofa to open up about his experience with the mental illness, revealing that he's been suffering from the condition since he was a young boy.
The former TOWIE star is sharing his story in a bid to help others and raise awareness, admitting that his older sister Jessica and dad Mark Senior have also been struggling with the common condition.
Mark explained to presenters Holly and Phil that OCD, an anxiety disorder, can be where people feel the need to check things repeatedly or perform certain routine.
He said: 'I have symmetry OCD, if I touch one leg in a certain place I have to do it on the same leg.
'Growing up as a kid my dad had OCD, little habits he does and so does my sister Jess - we all have little habits, we have to touch things a certain amount of times.'
Mark has been working with charities who help people with OCD, and it's since meeting others with the condition that he's realised his own illness isn't as severe as he first thought.
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'Some of the guys I met have OCD so bad that they want to commit suicide', he said.
'With me, I'll have to turn on a light at a certain time or the volume has to be at a certain level - a lot of people have traits like this.
'But the people I met recently have serious OCD. Some think it's funny but actually, when you do meet these people, it's not funny at all.'
Fans were quick to praise the star's appearance, taking to Twitter to thank him for raising awareness. One tweeted 'Watching @MarkWright_ talk about OCD on @thismorning great to see him raising awareness by talking about his own experiences 👍🏼 #ThisMorning' while another added 'Really good to see #thismorning raising awareness about OCD. Often played down, it's an incredibly destructive mental health disorder.'
It's thought that there are 750,000 people with OCD in the UK, and Mark isn't the only celebrity to speak out on the condition. David Beckham has previously opened up about living with the disorder, saying: 'I've got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs.
'I'll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there's one too many then I'll put it in another cupboard somewhere.'
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