Out on the edge and back again – Noel Edmonds

Noel Edmonds – hearing his name instantly evokes memories of him being on our TV screens. Whether that be in his early days with Mr Blobby, during the legendary Channel 4 gameshow Deal or No Deal, or even as recent as last year’s ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ TV show. Unfortunately we no longer regularly see Noel on our screens anymore, but the saving grace is that you can still play the deal or no deal online game. We see Noel celebrated and honoured in many ways including winning the British Comedy Award for the Best BBC Entertainer Presenter. Like many famous faces, we often associate Noel with living the higher life and loving every minute however, this was not always true.

Early Career

First of all, let’s rewind to Noel as a disc jockey, where he began his career at BBC Radio 1 before heading over to the television industry – let’s be honest, he hasn’t got the face for radio anyway! The Late, Late Breakfast show, Telly Addicts and Noel’s Saturday Roadshow are where he began his career in television but it kicked off further with Noel’s House Party in 1991, which then ran for eight long years.

A gap of uncertainty

When Noel left our TV screens, initially there was little anticipation for his return due to the significant decline in popularity of Noel’s House Party. Having said that, we all now know him as the iconic host of Deal or No Deal. So what happened between the years 1999 and 2006? Noel headed up a lot of business ventures and was investing his money in various pots – like most retiring celebrities do but unfortunately, it wasn’t easy sailing for Noel at all.

Suicide attempt

Noel was ruined overnight due to fraud by a group of HBOS financiers. Overnight, his business – Unique Group Business – was in tatters. Noel tried to take his life in 2005, the year before Deal or No Deal was set to air. The national icon only revealed his mental and physical distress in 2017, 12 years later, stating that it cost him his “marriage, my family, my businesses, my longstanding friend and business partner; my income, my investments, my self-respect, my reputation, my privacy, my physical and mental health”.

Fortunately, Noel was rescued by Paramedics and afterwards swiftly checked himself into rehab. After many years of building his mental state back up, and no doubt with the help of a new lease of life through Deal or No Deal, we now see Noel in happier days.

Brighter times

Some might say that hosting the Channel 4 gameshow gave Noel a new hope, something to focus on and look forward to. The famous Deal or No Deal ran for 14 seasons, which included a whopping 3,003 episodes, and even now that the UK version has ended, the game show has gone on to take over the US. Although Noel no longer hosts on our TV screens regularly, we have seen him participate in other TV shows, most recently ITV’s ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ where he was announced as Emperor on his first day in the jungle.

Noel’s appearances on TV might seem as though they are slowing down, but we’re sure we’ll see him again soon. There are so many opportunities for celebrities to take part in charity game shows and other programmes, we’re sure we haven’t seen the last of Noel Edmonds.

If you are facing any challenges regarding your mental health, please reach out to someone, or if you suspect someone is not okay, reach out to them. It’s okay not to be okay. End the stigma around mental health and don’t be afraid to ask for help.