Crisis What Crisis with Andy Coulson SIR TREVOR PHILLIPS: Why we are WRONG about mental illness
After a 22-year battle with anorexia, Sir Trevor Phillips' daughter Sushila died aged 36 in April 2021. Now he's calling for a radical shift in how we talk about mental illness – and he's not holding back.
The broadcaster, writer, and equality campaigner joins Crisis What Crisis? to explain why banning social media for under-16s is "preposterous," why celebrity "mental health struggles" make him furious, and what the "seventh circle of hell" really looks like in an eating disorder ward.
Trevor also talks to us about his remarkable upbringing and career across media, business and politics - all of it etched with resilience.
⚠️ Please note: This episode contains frank discussions of anorexia, eating disorders, mental illness, and grief that some listeners may find distressing.
WHAT YOU’LL HEAR:
- The brutal reality of a 22-year battle with severe anorexia
- Why mental illness and sadness are NOT the same thing
- Trevor's message to celebrities who conflate difficulty with trauma: "F*** off"
- Why removing friction from children's lives destroys resilience
LESSONS YOU'LL LEARN:
- Separate mental illness from sadness: stop confusing clinical illness with being "a bit fed up"
- Teach resilience, don't remove pain: you can't take friction out of the human condition
- The good guys can win: but you have to fight for it
- Know what you cannot do: in crisis, understand your limitations
- Light a candle: don't curse the darkness
IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 – Introduction: Sir Trevor Phillips' remarkable life
21:23 – What Britain should learn from its racial progress
27:10 – What real resilience looks like in a crisis
31:26 – The Leadership Lesson: knowing what you can't do
33:06 – Shushila: A 22-year battle with anorexia
44:39 – How grief changed everything
49:27 – Mental Illness vs. Feeling Sad: "stop conflating them"
57:12 – Why banning under-16s from social media Is "preposterous"
01:04:30 – What immigrants can teach Britain about resilience
SUPPORT & RESOURCES: If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder: Beat Eating Disorders - www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk
FOLLOW TREVOR:
X – https://x.com/TrevorPTweets
FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?
Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@crisispod
IF YOU FOUND THIS USEFUL...
If you found this episode useful I recommend heading into our archive and listening to:
Lisa Squire - whose daughter, Libby Squire, was rapped and murdered. Lisa's resilience and methods for managing unimaginable heartache left me beyond moved.
Click here to listen now – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crisis-what-crisis/id1517015748?i=1000592846650