Photo: Derek Hough/Instagram
Derek Houghbroke down in tears discussing mental health and suicide on Friday.
Hough said he originally was going to make this video weeks ago, but finally decided to sit down and make it after Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss’ssudden deathat age 40 on Wednesday.
Hecaptioned the videowith the National Suicide and Prevention Lifeline number.
“Now I’m learning about our friend Stephen and the fact that he went the exact same way as this man within a few weeks… it’s just heartbreaking, confusing, shocking. There’s so many different feelings and I’m trying to figure it out,” Hough added.
Hough implored people to talk to others if they are struggling with their mental health and reiterated that they don’t have to go through the pain “alone.”
“I just want to express and just to say for anybody out there who is feeling these thoughts and these feelings, please, please I beg you — I beg you, give people an opportunity to be there for you,” Hough says. “I know it feels like when you’re in that dark hole that it will just not get better, and I’m telling you right now, I promise you it does. It does get better.”
The pro dancer — who also lost his uncle to suicide — said he wrote the song to encourage a friend who was experiencing tough times.
“Men don’t want to talk about their feelings,” Hough said. “If any other part of our body is injured, I think it’s easier for us to handle, but if our emotions are injured, then it’s like, ‘Oh, we don’t want to talk about that.’ Or, ‘Oh, something is wrong with me.’ Let’s make it a conversation we’re not afraid to talk about.”
He previously told PEOPLE that he has even struggled to open up to his closest friends andfamily members, including his younger sister and fellow formerDWTSstarJulianne, 34.
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“In the past, whenever I go into dark times or I feel certain emotions, I never wanted anybody to know,” he said. “I didn’t want my family to know about it. I didn’t want my sisters to know about it. I wanted to be the hero. I want everything to be perfect. But that’s not a sustainable solution to your feelings. When I was able to share certain feelings with my family and reach out [to] my friends, it’s amazing how they’ll step up to the plate for you if you give them the opportunity to.”
He said he hoped that he could help inspire fans to open up and heal.
“I hate to see people suffering, and I can see a lot of people out there who feel like they’re alone,” the Utah native continued. “We talk about it to encourage somebody, to spark something or to be a catalyst.”
source: people.com
