Presenter and I’m a Celeb star Dean McCullough realised he was on a dangerous and ‘destructive’ path that could have scuppered his Radio 1 career. Radio and TV presenter Dean McCullough is currently taking on the gruesome challenges of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in Australia. He’s one of 10 initial stars who are hoping to be crowned King or Queen of the jungle on the hugely successful ITV show, hosted by Ant and Dec.
Fans are used to hearing the 32-year-old’s jovial Northern Irish accent on the Radio 1 airwaves where he first covered Clara Amfo for two days in 2020. He has since gone on to host other daytime slots, including the late morning and afternoon shows as well as regularly appearing on TV on Big Brother ’s Late & Live.
However his lofty presenting dreams nearly didn’t happen when he found himself falling into a dangerous mental place. He had been co-hosting the Gaydio breakfast show when Covid 19 struck and it took a big toll on him which led to his consumption of alcohol drastically increasing.
He previously told iNews about his battles, revealing: "What was like a glass of wine of an evening after work turned into a bottle which turned into two bottles and then, some weekends, I was drinking like a bottle of vodka too." He said his drinking spiralled and mental health deteriorated during the pandemic.
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Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)Dean said that he didn’t have a particular turning point or particularly horrendous hangover that made him stop but he realised what lay ahead if he didn’t. He feared it would ruin his ambitions of a career on national radio. "I just saw the path in front of me and it wasn't nice. It was really dark and it was very destructive and I thought, if I want to get to Radio 1, which was always my dream, if I want to do that, I need to make some changes."
Four weeks after he stopped drinking Dean saw the ad for the Christmas cover for Clara at Radio 1 and the rest is history. He has been teetotal ever since. But his struggle with alcohol isn’t the only thing Dean has had to overcome. As a child he faced being homeless following the breakdown of his parents’ relationship.
The star spoke to the Big Issue earlier this year and shared his experience with hidden homelessness for the first time in an attempt to help others. Hidden homelessness involves living in temporary accommodation or sofa surfing at friends’ homes. Dean said he didn’t think of himself as homeless because he wasn’t sleeping rough.
"We weren’t living on the street, we were living in my aunt’s house on a sofa," he revealed. "I was moving between houses on a regular basis." The family had no fixed address for a year and the experience has had an impact on his behaviour as an adult. "I have problems with my possessions and feeling like I need to take care of absolutely everything around me," he explained. "That comes down to moving from house to house and not ever feeling like anything was ever truly mine."
He found himself in the same position when he moved to London to pursue a musical theatre career and spent several years sofa surfing. He would sometimes find himself feeling uncomfortable in certain situations which led to him partying more, staying out "all weekend" and "not wanting to go home".
The radio personality now wants to "widen the narrative" around homelessness and what it means, especially as the number of young people with no fixed address is increasing. The Big Issue claims hidden homelessness is very common and impacts one in 182 people living in England, including 140,000 children.
Dean revealed that two teachers at his school were his saviour as they helped him to enjoy his life during the day. "You can find stability in the unstable," he said. "Your school can help, your teachers can help. They want to help - you don’t have to feel lonely and isolated."
Centrepoint offers help and advice if you are homeless or are worried about becoming homeless. The Government’s website also has details on local councils who can help and how to contact them.
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