Netflix’s new smash hit reality television show, At Home With the Furys, features the life of famous British boxer, Tyson Fury, also known as the Gypsy King, and his family. Tyson and his wife, Paris Fury, share six children together, and reside in Morecambe, England.
Tyson has a larger-than-life public persona and has a professional boxing record of 33-0, winning 24 of his matches by knockout (KO). Despite his enormous professional success, the views of At Home With the Furys gain deeper insight into his life, including the challenges he faces.
As soon as you start watching At Home With the Furys, you recognize that there is something inherently different about this show from other ones. It is not because it is a reality show or a show featuring an athlete who was rather private. It is different because the show offers an unfiltered look into Tyson’s mental health and the way that his mental health diagnoses impact his family and the people around him.
By showing that even one of the world’s greatest athletes has mental health issues, hopefully we can illuminate the current mental health crisis that is going on and show people that it is okay to not be okay.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Utah.
The Backdrop of At Home With the Furys
At Home With the Furys began filming in June of 2022. Cameras followed Tyson and his family around after his win against Dillian Whyte, another boxing champion. Prior to his fight with Dillian, Tyson swore that it would be his last professional boxing fight as he amped up for his retirement. Now, we see Tyson as a husband to his wife of 15 years and a father to their six children.
While the audience knows that Tyson made enormous financial gains from his lucrative boxing career, you also cannot help but feel that the family has a relatively normal lifestyle as well. The mundane family scene, like camping and Tyson and Paris driving their six kids around in their Ford van, bring a sense of normalcy to their rather unique life.
These family-centered moments are certainly a heart-warming part of the show, but one of the bigger themes of the show is Tyson’s mental health.
Tyson Fury’s Mental Health
Early on in the show, it is revealed that Tyson has several mental health struggles. Paris describes that Tyson has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and depression. If you are an adult struggling with ADHD, check out our blog “CBT for Adult ADHD.”
A little later on in the show, it is also revealed that Tyson struggled with alcohol and drug addiction when he previously tried to retire a few years past in 2015. During this time, Tyson spiraled out of control, struggling with weight gain and even suicidal thoughts. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, don't hesitate to call the suicide hotline at 988 right away.
Throughout the show, you witness Tyson and Paris’ struggles as Tyson tries to see if it is possible if he can live a life without a strict physical regimen and the heights of adrenaline he experiences from championship boxing.
Fury’s family and even Tyson himself showcase concern for his mental health. Tyson recounts his days of having suicidal thoughts. He states: “I’ve had a lot of dark moments, thinking you’re gonna end up in a padded room, you’ve lost your mind, and you’re crazy. And as low as like not wanting to live anymore, even though you’ve got a family and kids and you’ve got everything to live for.”
Interviews with Tyson’s father, John, and Paris give additional insight into Tyson’s mental health conditions.
“I think in Tyson’s case, you can have everything going for you, all the fame and fortune, all the glitter the world’s got to offer. When mental health kicks in you’ve got nothing” said John Tyson.
Tyson’s Behavior
While Tyson’s life may seem glamorous when he’s riding around in his luxurious sports car or cruising around on a yacht in the south of France, he does showcase erratic behavior and intense mood swings from time-to-time.
Paris is a supportive wife to Tyson and holds down the fort when he is away or experiencing mental health struggles, but she openly admits that it is challenging to be married to someone who struggles mentally and emotionally.
For example, on a random school night, Tyson decided to take his sons to a campsite to sleepover. Paris said: “I try to just go along with his mood swings and his ups and downs and his ideas that he has, but these sorts of things are a definite interference in life.”
There are also explosive moments where Tyson exhibits avoidant attachment. At his daughter’s christening party, he decided to leave early and leave Paris with all of their children and family. To learn more about the attachment styles, read our blog “How Do The Four Attachment Styles Impact Romantic Relationships?”.
Additionally, Tyson shows his impulsiveness many times throughout the show.
After being called out by a social media personality and athlete in Iceland, Tyson decides to fly himself and his team to Iceland on a whim. When he gets there, he realizes that his potential opponent is not even in Iceland, he is in Italy.
Tyson admitted “My worst quality is how spur-of-the-moment I am.”
It is very common for someone with ADHD to be impulsive.
ADHD’s main symptoms include:
Inattention
Hyperactivity
Impulsivity
When someone is struggling with impulsivity, it means that they have poor behavior control. Someone may act or speak without thinking it through first. They may fall into the trap of making hasty decisions or have a difficult time resisting temptation.
Impulsive behaviors in people with ADHD can include some or all of the following…
Speaking out of turn
Giving in to distraction
Experiencing lessened emotional regulation
Interrupting other speakers
Moving around when they may need to sit still
Engaging in unsafe behavior
Giving into impulses (e.g., spending money)
At another point during the show, he quickly decided that he wanted to go to Pompeii. Then, shortly thereafter, he decided that he did not want to go anymore. Paris voiced: “Anything we ever book, we don’t get to go on. I’d say nine times out of ten, if we book something more than three days in advance, we don’t go. And I really do think that comes down to Tyson. I think that comes down to his… he’s Bipolar. I’m becoming more active with the word because I know it’s what triggers it.”
When someone has Bipolar Disorder, it can be very difficult to make and keep plans. This is likely because that person will not be able to predict their moods when the time for the plans rolls around. For example, at the moment, Tyson was excited to make the plans and fulfill his dream of going to Pompeii, a trip he has been interested in for some time. However, when it becomes time for the plan to come to fruition, it seems like the biggest imposition in the world and even an impossible task.
While Tyson certainly struggles with his mental health, there is no doubt that he has a great support system around him. John stated, “...that’s his family’s job, my job, to make sure he don’t go there” referring to a dark mental state.
When you have a group of people who can provide you with practical and emotional support, you feel better about yourself and your life circumstances. It improves your overall health, lessening stress levels and anxiety.
The following are key mental health benefits to having a support system:
Emotional validation and acceptance
Stress reduction
Enhanced coping skills
Improved self-esteem (For more information on self-esteem, read out past blog “Do You Understand Your Self-Esteem?”)
Reduced anxiety and depression
Increased resilience
Social engagement
Different perspectives
Encouragement to seek the help of a licensed mental health counselor
Distraction
Enjoyment
“With the Fury family by my side, I can do anything” Tyson insists.
What helps Tyson’s mental health?
Tyson expressed, “What helps with my mental health is set short-term goals. Exercise for me is the key. The moment I stop exercising is the moment I go straight back to the Hotel California. You can check out any time you want, but you can never leave. That’s mental health because it’s not if you get unwell again, it’s when.”
John stated: “When you’re a mental health sufferer, the best thing in life is exercise cause I know without that, I can’t function or think straight, I can’t do nothing.”
In interview after interview, both Paris and John reveal that physical movement is key to Tyson keeping a positive mindset. In reality, there are many mental health benefits to moving your body.
Exercise actually causes your brain to release “feel good” chemicals, also known as endorphins and serotonin. These chemicals can enhance your mood. Additionally, working out can distract you from any negative thought patterns you may be experiencing.
To learn more about this topic, read the blog “5 Ways Exercise Benefits Your Mental Health.”
Family Patterns
Considering Tyson’s career and mental health struggles, the role of exercise is big in the show, and it seems like Tyson may have picked up on this from his father, John.
Throughout the series, we see both Tyson and John going on runs routinely on their own and explaining the benefits of it for their mental health.
While on a run, John explained that he struggles with mental health issues himself. He elaborates, “I’ve had [mental health struggles] all my life. My father had it. My grandfather had it. Genetic. When I was younger, I didn’t know anything about it and we thought a kick up the backside sorted it out, but we’ve learned from that it doesn’t.”
While research is constantly being developed in the mental health field, many mental health disorders are caused by a combination of biological, genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. John’s mental health issues are not explained in great detail and we cannot say whether or not Tyson’s mental health disorders came from John, but it is clear that Tyson picked up on some coping skills from his father, like running.
John said, “Tyson can’t live without running. He does more training out than he does when he’s in camp.” Tyson likely completes more workouts outside of training camp than when he is preparing for an upcoming boxing match since he has a difficult time coping with life outside of boxing.
Tyson’s Retirement
A hot topic throughout the show is if Tyson is actually going to retire or not. While his family is hopeful that he will, they also doubt his plans to do so.
Tyson said: “The feeling I get when I’m stood in front of me fans, it’s like no other. It’s an amazing buzz that you get from it. It can’t be competed with. And this is why, over the years, all these sportspeople make returns and some of them feel lost and they never can get back that enjoyment they once had.”
Paris wants Tyson to retire and enjoy the fruits of his hard labor, but she does have some genuine concerns. She voiced, “I think the things I worry about is Tyson’s mental health dips dramatically when he doesn’t have a routine or a schedule.”
Paris also reflected on when Tyson tried to retire in 2015, and he struggled immensely with this life transition. She honestly revealed, “There’s no point in sitting here and saying, ‘Oh, that won’t happen again’ when that is always a worry, like a little elephant in the room that I think about.”
Tyson expressed “There was a moment in 2017 where I thought I had the antidote to the depression, and the anxiety was getting drunk before bed, and it turns out that it’s only a release, the drugs and the alcohol, for a small amount of time. It’s not a long-term fix, it’s a short-term break from the problem.”
Like many people during a particularly difficult or stressful life event, Tyson looked towards substances to make him feel whole. A person with Bipolar Disorder experiences high highs and low lows, manic episodes to depressive periods. Changes in energy, thinking, and behavior can occur regularly in people with Bipolar.
Mental health disorders can exacerbate stressful life situations which may motivate people to turn to substances to cope with their negative feelings and mental state. As Tyson stated, you can use drugs and alcohol to fight off your unwanted moods, but it is only a short-term release that will cause more damage in the future.
If your loved one is struggling with addiction, check out our blog “5 Ways to Help Someone Battling Addiction & Substance Abuse Issues.”
After hearing back and forth chats about Tyson potentially boxing again, Paris decides to confront Tyson about his retirement. During this conversation, Tyson remarked, “I know I can’t do anything else. I’ve gotta do this until I die… I’ve tried umpteen times to walk about from this bullshit, but it’s not possible. Happiest when I’m doing this. More controlled, more stable, everything’s smoother while I’m fighting, while I’m actively a pro. When I’m not a pro, I retired for five months, head was up me ass, suicidal thoughts and that’s it.”
As a professional athlete, it can be very difficult to make the change towards living a “normal” life after experiencing the fame and success that comes along with being an athlete. You may go from an arena of people screaming your name to a normal household with daily chores to complete. This transition can be a shock to your system to say the least.
It is normal to struggle with change. It is okay to feel uneasy. It is expected to feel nervous about what is to come. It is not easy to go with the flow of things when your life is in limbo, but if you are experiencing serious difficulties with completing daily tasks, it is recommended that you seek the help of an anxiety and depression therapist.
If you are an athlete who is retiring, our previous blog is a must-read “Life of The Retired Athlete: How to Fight Depression and Anxiety.”
Final Thoughts
Overall, At Home With the Furys is an incredible program that is unlike other reality shows. While the show has upbeat moments, it shows the reality of someone who lives with mental health disorders and the impact that those emotional issues present to family.
Tyson Fury is incredibly brave for discussing his mental health issues for millions to see and, hopefully, inspiring millions of more people to seek the help of a professional therapist in their area if they are struggling.
Remember, you are not alone.
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager and Intake Coordinator at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
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