'Don't suffer in silence with your mental health'

North used the analogy of a “shiny car with a broken engine” to talk about an individual who is battling with their mental health. “If the engine is broken, the car won’t work. Your brain and your mental health is that engine]. If you’re not in a good place, you won’t operate and be the best person you can be.”

North revealed that he “was in a very dark place” last year and had even considered committing suicide on numerous occasions.

After opening up to his wife and some of his directors at Vertical Systems, North sought help for his depression by seeing a therapist and taking anti-depressants. “I’ll probably be on anti-depressants for life, and that’s fine,” he said. “The therapy has helped me be the best version of me.”

North also shared some coping techniques he has learned through therapy, such as basing decisions and emotions on “facts and facts alone”, “feeding the positive ego over the negative ego” and making changes to your routine, such as taking regular exercise.

North said he hoped speaking out would encourage others to do the same, and urged travel industry bodies to get behind the issue. To anyone suffering, North offered the following advice: “Don’t feel ashamed to speak out. By talking you’ll realise you’re not alone. We need to eradicate the taboo around mental health.”

To contact Chris’s therapist and access support resources, click here