Radio star Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli reveals mental health battle
Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli has experienced the ‘darkest’ period of his life when he considered an ‘end’ to his suffering.
This was told by the presenter of the breakfast show Nova 96.9, best known for the show Fitzy and Wippa The imperfections podcast that he has been quietly battling depression before collapsing on his wife, Lisa.
“I remember one time I was riding with (my wife) Lisa and I just started crying and she was like ‘what’s up?’ and I said ‘I don’t know,'” the 43-year-old said.
“Things just keep playing, things that don’t even matter. It’s so ridiculous.”
Wippa said his toughest period came in 2009, when he co-hosted his Nova Drive show with Ryan Shelton and Monty Dimond.
Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli (pictured) has experienced the ‘darkest’ period of his life as he contemplated an ‘end’ to his suffering
“I remember thinking, not like I could end it, but I looked like that would make it all go away,” he said.
“When you’re that low, you feel like you’re better off not being here, in front of everyone. And you think that’s better for everyone.’
Wippa says he reached out to his co-star Shelton before making the decision to see a doctor.
“Sheltzie, I’m trying so hard,” he told the fellow radio star, who comforted him by grabbing his leg.
The Nova 96.9 breakfast show host, best known for the Fitzy and Wippa show, told The Imperfects podcast that he has been quietly battling depression before collapsing on his wife, Lisa (left)
“I just needed someone to hold me. It’s so scary – where you’re going is so scary,” he added.
The media personality says he now takes antidepressants to ease his dark days.
“It’s so important for you to have a clear head, so[antidepressants]protect your head a little bit — arm you a little bit — so that those times when you get stuck don’t trap you,” said he.
“So that’s why I’m taking them now, because I can tell when I’m starting to spiral. I’ve worked out a bit what the signs are’.
“I remember thinking, not like I could end it, but I looked like that would make it all go away,” he said
Fitzy and Wippa’s co-host has been happily married to Lisa for nine years.
The couple share three children, sons Theodore, 7, and Jack, 5, and daughter Francesca, 2.
The POpular Nova radio host recently revealed that he is in therapy.
He explained that his bi-weekly sessions with his psychologist are “extremely beneficial” because it helped him analyze things from a “different point of view.”
Speak on the Separate bathrooms podcast, Wippa and his wife Lisa said therapy helped with personal improvement.
Fitzy and Wippa’s co-host has been happily married to Lisa for nine years
The Celebrity Apprentice star compared therapy to professional development, saying that “even the best tennis player in the world has a coach.”
The father-of-three told host Cameron Daddo that his therapist helped him with everything from gaining new perspectives to becoming a better parent.
“I see it as a great way to almost print out what’s in your brain. To present different opinions about why things might happen,” he said.
Wippa’s wife Lisa added that seeing a therapist is like seeing “someone who’s a bit of a life coach.”
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They share three children, sons Theodore, 7, and Jack, 5, and daughter Francesca, 2. All pictured