Laurence Fox was in a 'very dark place' after bitter custody battle with ex-wife Billie Piper

(PA)
(PA)

Actor Laurence Fox says he understood why some men take their own lives after going through a bitter custody battle of his own with ex-wife Billie Piper.

Fox, known for his role in ITV’s Lewis, said that he suffered from anxiety and insomnia as he fought to gain access to his children Winston, 9, and Eugene, 6.

Talking to the Mail on Sunday, Fox, 40, revealed how he was feeling at the time: ‘I was certainly in a very dark place at one point — at my lowest ebb.

‘I almost felt like I couldn’t go on. It all felt so hopeless.

‘I understand why some men feel so hopeless they commit suicide and find themselves lying on the train tracks.’

Fox faced-off against his ex-wife, the 35-year-old former pop star and Doctor Who actress, in court last month after the pair separated in 2016 and began divorce proceedings, citing ‘unreasonable behaviour’.

(PA)
(PA)

The actor said he found it ‘hard to sleep’ and suffered emotional and financial strain after enormous legal fees meant he was forced to remortgage his home and sell his motorbike.

He doesn’t, however, blame Piper, claiming that it’s down to a deeply ‘flawed’ legal system that attempts to find and place blame on one side of a divorcing couple.

He also addressed the importance for men to discuss their feelings and to not shut themselves off because it can lead to some taking their own lives.

‘Men no longer feel comfortable talking about relationships, and for the men who bottle it, it can be disastrous – they end up throwing themselves off buildings’, he said, hoping to draw attention to male depression and mental health issues, which are often overlooked.

For further information on suicidal thoughts, check out the NHS site for suicide prevention here, or contact The Samaritans here.

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