After Simon lost his brother Straon Webbe to suicide last year, he asked fans to open up about their feelings – saying it’s okay not to be okay.
Simon believes that the reason there is a stigma behind men talking about mental health is because of the old fashioned way of thinking in society – and social media is now adding to the problem.
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“I just think that you know, a man is a provider, a man is a hunter, a man shouldn’t talk about his problems,” he said.
“It’s a very old fashioned way of thinking, but with social media and people suffering from anxiety, I don’t post all the time now, because of it, we used to answer our phones when we rang, but nowadays you’re picking up your phone to check how many likes you’ve got.
“I just think that it’s taboo that men shouldn’t talk, I do think we need to talk a lot more, I want to be an ambassador for that for sure and you feel a lot better when you do. And you realise it’s not that bad when you do either.”
The 41-year-old admitted that there are times when men don’t want to talk, and during those times, it’s okay not to.
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“When you’ve got a partner, sometimes your partner wants to know and heal you, but sometimes it’s not about that, it’s about having man space and men need that, like women do as well,” he said.
Being in one of the world’s most successful boybands, Simon believes that the music industry has made it easier to open up about mental health issues and he himself was writing about mental health issues back in 2005 when mental health wasn’t as big as it is now.
“I think the music industry is key to opening up, it’s owning songs, listen to my songs, I always write things something with meaning behind it.”
He added: “One day I thought, I don’t need to do this, I want to do it.
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“I want to help people, my talent is music, and I’m sure people are out there feeling what I’m feeling, but my talent is writing and singing, so I want to focus on what I’m good at.”
After taking a break from social media earlier this year, Simon admitted that he doesn’t delve into negativity at all.
“If I see something negative I delete it, I don’t need to read it, because that shouldn’t affect me, what somebody says, but unfortunately, we’re wired like that for no reason.
“But we can unwire and pick ourselves out, come off the phone for a bit, go to the gym, do something for yourself, get those endorphins running around the body.”
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The star is still making music and has recently thrown himself into a new project as a participant of “The Snorechestra” – teaming up with PlayOJO to release a charity single called “Snored to Sleep” in partnership with charity Hope2Sleep.
The track aims to help millions of people who have had their sleep, relationships and health affected by the impact of snoring – as nearly a fifth of couples admit to arguing regularly about it.
When asked who is most guilty of being the worst snorer of the newly-weds, Simon admitted that he is the worst snorer because of how sleep deprived he is due to travelling with work.
He gushed: “Well I’d say it’s definitely me because she’s too beautiful to snore.”
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Simon’s own snores will even be featured on the track and he hopes that he can make people become more aware of the problems that snoring may cause.
“It can affect your health, and sleep deprivation is high in the spectrum when it comes down to divorces.
“It can cause serious health problems, so looking to combine the sounds on the track can help people relax and get used to it, which will help them rest easier,” he said.
Guilty snorer Simon Webbe has teamed up with online fair casino PlayOJO to release a charity single made of snores! Find out more about the ‘Snored to Sleep’ track here.
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