Carl Fogarty’s dying friend helped him beat depression.
The new King of the ‘I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!’ jungle has confessed he became a shadow of his former self when he retired from motorbike racing but claims his best pal Mark Winstanley – who lost his battle with stomach cancer aged 45 – told him to "stop moaning" and make the most of his life.
He said: "Mark stopped me from whinging about who I was. He said, ‘Look at me you f*****g d**k, I’m dying and you keep complaining because of who you are’.
"He said to get out there and celebrate what I created for motorcycling and I think that’s why I probably ended up doing the show.
"When he died it left a massive hole, but what he said was kind of the kick up the a**e I needed. This show has come at a really good time for me."
The 49-year-old former World Superbike champion has also admitted he never really enjoyed his racing career and regrets taking it out on his wife Michaela – with whom he has daughters Danielle, 23, and Claudia, 20.
Carl told The Sun newspaper: "All my mates who raced really enjoyed racing, but I never did. I enjoyed winning but for such a small amount of time.
"I now realise winning had become an unhealthy obsession. The more I won, the more I had to win, it was crazy. I created a monster, it was horrible. But that person has gone now and I can enjoy this."
Carl Fogarty’s dying friend helped him beat depression
