Cipriani admits planning to take his own life in emotional video

Danny Cipriani has released a video message today following the death of his ex-girlfriend Caroline Flack last Saturday.

In a deeply personal video to his 214k followers on Instagram, the 32-year-old was visibly distraught whilst describing how “embarrassment and shame” had caused Flack to take her own life.

The Gloucester flyhalf described the former Love Island as “kind”, “loving”, “beautiful”, and “someone that I loved as a person very dearly”.

He also went into great depth about the battles he has faced throughout his life, from childhood to his professional career, and also explained how he had contemplated taking his own life as a 22-year-old after suffering from “severe depression”.

This is the full video:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B804EcRHKus/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

There has been a huge amount of support for the England international following his candid and heartfelt message, in which he said “everybody has embarrassment and shame… whatever it is, we be kind”.

This support can be seen from the comments on both Twitter and Instagram from players across the game of rugby, as well as the public. He also mentioned how much support he has received from his teammates after telling them his story on Monday.

As a result of the events that have unfolded over the past week, Gloucester are dedicating their next home match against Sale Sharks to raising mental health issues. Cipriani also urged people to “talk”, saying: “If you have vulnerable moments, and you have people you care about close to you, share it with them.”

This is why it’s important to #BeKind to one another and why we’re dedicating our next home match, against Sale Sharks, to raising awareness of Mental Health issues.

To watch the full video, head to @DannyCipriani87's Instagram channel: https://t.co/4VCuK1epSM https://t.co/IBhJu4tPZ9

— Gloucester Rugby ? (@gloucesterrugby) February 21, 2020

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8zBDJSAx9D/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The hashtag #BeKind has also been shared this week on social media, a phrase that Cipriani echoed throughout the video.

Cipriani has been a player that has been under intense media scrutiny throughout his career, and his message will send ripples far beyond the game of rugby, as it is not often someone is that honest and vulnerable on social media.

WATCH: Darren Cave joins Jim Hamilton in this week’s episode of Don’t Mess With Jim to discuss the Weekend’s blockbuster, England vs Ireland at Twickenham.