The hidden fight of a Welsh rugby hero and truth about being kicked out of Wales squad

Dafydd James was a fine rugby player for the Wales and Lions but his life has been challenged by mental health issues. Steffan Thomas reports

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DAFYDD James achieved much as a player, winning 48 caps for Wales, playing in all three Test matches for the British & Irish Lions against Australia in 2001 and enjoying a glittering club career.

But it was also a career which endured its fair share of setbacks, from getting kicked out of the Wales squad in 2002, to the overnight demise of the Celtic Warriors and having his contract terminated suddenly by the Scarlets. James showed tremendous resilience in bouncing back stronger from each setback but, undoubtedly, his biggest challenge has been fighting depression.

Around one in 10 men in the UK struggle from depression or anxiety and while the stigma attached to mental health issues is not what it once was, there remains a long way to go, especially in the world of professional rugby union.

James, who grew up in Bridgend, has recently released a book alongside author Trystan Bevan called Offloading: Tackling My Truth where he tells the life story he hopes can help others struggling.

"It talks about the challenges of coming to the end of different stages of your life," James tells the Echo.

"Once you are caught up in that spiral and that dark hole it is very difficult to get out of. It's hard and not nice. Loads of people suffer with depression and they say over 50% of the public will suffer some mental health challenges along the way, whether that be anxiety, depression, bereavement, loss. I wanted to come out and say I've come out the other end.

"It's a pertinent topic in this crazy world where everyone is craving attention and likes while trying to showcase what money and what cars we've got.

"Internally we are all going through our own little battles. I probably would have liked to talk about it a little bit more but I've got to be careful because it is quite raw and it is quite blunt about some of the things I've done which will upset people.