Richard Reid: It Gets Better

“If anyone out there is struggling, I would say ‘hang in there’. It really does get better even when you’re at your lowest of lows,” emphasises Richard Reid, American-Australian entertainment reporter and ambassador of Australian mental health organisation Beyond Blue. 

Reid talked with Star Observer about life’s ups and downs and how we can weather the storm and get through to the other side. 

“It is going to get better, Reid stresses. “If anyone knows that, I do. When I was young, I was at the bottom of the pecking order, lower than the low, and somehow I turned out to be okay.”

Reid: The Qualities That I’d Been Bullied About at School are the Reasons I’d Be Successful Later in Life

Looking back on his time in school, Reid said, “The very qualities that I’d been bullied about at school; being loud and flamboyant, being clever would be the very reasons I’d be successful in later life. If I had known that, I would have just kept snapping my fingers and flipping my hair. 

“But, you know, instead I just tried to tone it down. I don’t think anyone should have to tone it down at all.”

He continued, “if someone had told me ‘it’s okay being you let your freak flag fly’ it would have really meant the world to me.”

Enter Beyond Blue

Reid’s relationship with Beyond Blue started in 2019 when he chose them as his charity of choice while he was on Channel 10’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

Talking about why he got involved with Beyond Blue, Reid said, “I have a friend who always told me, ‘your brain, Richard, is like a bad neighbourhood and you don’t want to go there alone’. 

“So it’s always important to surround yourself with like-minded people or people who understand you or people you can talk to.

“It sounds like a cliche, but we are not alone.”

Reid: Fear Stands For Fictional Events Appearing Real

Reid provided some insight into what he does when he starts to get overwhelmed. 

“Whenever I start negative spiralling, I just pull myself up and I try to separate the facts from the fiction in my head. 

“Fear stands for fictional events appearing real. And that is so true because we just make up all these things in our head and I’m the first one to catastrophise and when I feel depressed, the last thing I want to do is socialise. But I found that taking contrary action, and getting out amongst people really takes my mind off myself.”

Reid also says that exercise is incredibly important to repulse stress.

I love group exercise. Exercise is so important. I love that F45, spinning, step aerobics, Jane Fonda. Any day of the week, I’ll just be as happy as a pig in shit if I’m exercising.”

Despite his fame, Reid is not immune to Grindr toxicity.

How does he handle this you ask?

“I try to roll with the punches and if someone gives me attitude, I either kill them with kindness or give them a big dose of attitude back or now I just block – it’s just easier.”