Just days after Corporal Ash Nickless was found dead at his home, the Spice Girls member expresses her devastation, adding that more must be done to aid those dealing with the condition.
- Dec 2, 2019
AceShowbiz - Mel B (Melanie Brown) has hit out at medical professionals for failing to recognise her late bodyguard's struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following his time in the Royal Marines.
Corporal Ash Nickless was found dead at his home wearing his ceremonial blues uniform and medals on 22 November, aged 31.
Following his years of service, he worked as a bodyguard for various stars, including the Spice Girls singer, 44, who has said more must be done to aid those in the armed forces dealing with the condition.
Mel told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "(It was) a damning indictment of the lack of help for those suffering PTSD who are in such desperate need."
The "Wannabe" hitmaker went on to reveal she and Ash discussed his PTSD at length, as she also suffered with the condition following her alleged abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, Stephen Belafonte.
"I remember thinking, 'This man would take a bullet for my child.' Our worlds were so different, but we had a connection," she recalled. "When I had to do a tour for my book, 'Brutally Honest', I wanted him by my side because it was tough for me and he understood trauma on every level. He was with me in the run up to the Spice Girls tour, too."
And the singer is struggling to understand why the man she considered "part of the family" didn't ask her for help.
"I guess I now just think, 'why didn't he call me?'," she wonders. "But I know he was so very proud and he wanted everyone to believe he could cope. That is devastating."
