West Ham & England's Declan Rice tackles "invisible opponent" to raise awareness of loneliness

West Ham and England footballer Declan Rice is fronting a new campaign for suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) aimed at tackling loneliness.

The campaign is kicking off while Rice is representing the Three Lions in Qatar, and focuses on a rise in the number of people reporting feeling "lonely" in the UK.

Stats show:

• 3 million people in the UK say they feel lonely
• Loneliness is the number one reason why people call the CALM helpline
• 30% of young people in a YouGov poll said they'd felt lonely in the past week

Rice appears in new video

The short film, starring Rice, entitled 'The Invisible Opponent 2' shows the midfielder battling invisible opponents.

Relief finally comes at the end as a hand extends to help him from the ground with CALM’s message ‘You don’t have to be alone to feel alone’, followed by a rallying cry #TackleItTogether.

The Ad is a metaphor for the mental health struggles that people face and the sense of isolation that comes from tackling them alone.

Footballer is mental health ambassador

Rice joined CALM as its newest ambassador earlier this month, and aims to raise awareness and challenge the stigma around mental health and suicide.

Off the pitch, he’s set a goal to get more people talking and looking out for their friends and loved ones, at a time when more people than ever are turning to CALM’s helpline and webchat services for support.

He said: “Everyone suffers at different times in their life and there’s so many people out there who feel like there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel - but all it takes is a conversation.

"It's about having that support network and having people you can speak to. Because no matter who you are or what you’re going through it should be easy to speak to the people you love. Just one conversation can make a positive difference.”

"Anyone can feel lonely"

Simon Gunning, CEO, Campaign Against Living Miserably said: “Anyone can feel lonely, no matter your age, gender or background.

"But everyone experiences that feeling in different ways. You can feel alone when you’re with your friends or you can feel it by yourself. It can be triggered by big life changes, or it can have no specific trigger at all.

"How and where you feel alone doesn’t change the fact that it can be really tough to deal with those feelings, and often people feel too ashamed to talk about it. That’s why we need to tackle it together. And show people, however you feel right now, you’re never alone. There’s always someone on your side - and CALM is always here.”

If you’re struggling or worried about someone, head to thecalmzone.net for practical support and advice.

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